articles

Ironman Arizona Preview

IRONMAN ARIZONA
Sunday, November 18, 2012
7:00 a.m. MST
Tempe, AZ 
Sandy Holt: Bib # 496, F25-29
Swim: 2.4 miles

Arizona swim venue is known for being fast; cool temperature, flat water and no current.

Temperature (9:30 a.m. MST on 11/17): 62 degrees F

Bike: 112 miles

Flat and windy on the these open roads in Arizona.  This is a 3 loop bike course with the turnaround 100m from transition.

Forecast for 11/18/12: Sunny, with a high near 75.  East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon.

Run: 26.2 miles

Three loop run winding around Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park.  This course is flat with no shade.





Online Tracking available starting at 6:30 a.m. MST @ IRONMAN.





Ironman Florida 2012

Ironman Florida is one of the most popular races on the circuit.  Located in Panama City Beach, FL in the beginning of November.  It is known for it's beautiful beaches, flat and fast course, and nice weather.


Ironman Florida 2009 was the first Ironman for brother and sister, Michael and I (Sandy Holt).  Here is a video from our 2009 journey. Click here for You Tube Video  In 2010, Charlie Johnson joined the mix, and in 2012 all three were back for what turned out to be a fantastic day of racing.

Race Results:

 
In June of 2011 I received my USA Triathlon Level 1 coaching certification and by July 2011 Michael and I had started Triattic, LLC.  I immediately started coaching myself, Charlie and Michael. Within a few months all of us were showing big improvements and producing new PR's at almost every race.  (Check back for an update on clients and results within the next few weeks).
 
For Charlie and I our training changed in a number of different ways.  We increased our total volume from previous Ironman training blocks, we focused more on race specific pacing and efforts, and we made sure we got plenty of recovery.
 
Sandy Holt Training for IMFL 2010: Swim - 42:37, Bike - 94:57:13, Run - 52:31:11 (Total Hours from June 6, 2010 - November 6, 2010)
 
 
 
Sandy Holt Training for IMFL 2012: Swim - 52:06, Bike - 113:14:05, Run - 66:25:38 (Total Hours from June 9, 2012 - November 3, 2012)
 
 
 
For those of you out there who think you don't have time to train for an Ironman, think again. Michael was one of my more challenging athletes to coach (due to time constraints). His schedule is very busy, he is owner and President of two company's, he has a wife and two children (10 and 14 years old), travels Monday - Friday for work and only has the weekends to spend with his family.
 
So, how could I get him to his best shape for Ironman with as little as 10 hours a week? Quality over quantity and knowing how far and hard to push without risking injury. Michael does not have access to a swimming facility, so his only swim training comes from strength workouts and swims during events.
 
Michael Holt Training for IMFL 2012: Swim - 2:06:30, Bike - 56:29:07, Run - 30:28:40 (Total Hours from August 5, 2012 - November 3, 2012) 
 

Charlie Johnson improvement from 2010-2012: 16 minutes for 2.8%
 
Photographed by: Paul Pagano
 
Sandy Holt improvement from 2010-2012: 28 minutes for 4.1%
 
Photographed by: Paul Pagano
 
Michael Holt improvement from 2010-2012: 1 hour 46 minutes for 13%
 
 
 
If you are signed up for Ironman Florida 2013 looking for a coaching team to help you finish or set a new PR contact sandy@triattic.com for coaching information.