Hey Denise,
How are you doing post Ironman? I've been thinking about you lately (as I'm getting geared up for my race).

I was wanting to know something. We're probably somewhere around the same physical level (not elite and not beginner) and I was wondering one major thing about the iron distance: how long is recovery afterward? I know that after a marathon, I need a good month before I can run anything over 4 miles, and I take a complete week off after the race to recover. How much time did you take off after the race? All the books I have only deal with training/getting ready for the event. None of them really address what to do once the race is over. Do you take a month off (just doing light workouts), do you take one day for every mile you race (like a marathon), that means 140 days "off." After doing the killer workouts in training, did you find that you gained some weight after the race when your weekly workout sessions fell extremely short of where they were pre-race?

Hmmmm....I'm very confused. What worked for you? Please give me all your wisdom and knowledge. It's WAY better than book knowledge, and I know I can trust your honesty.
Thanks for your help!


oh, I also did my longest bike yet (60 miles) yesterday and then ran an hour brick off the bike. Surprisingly not sore today. I give credit to the ice bath after (has always worked for me for some reason). I'm excited to do more of this...

I met a guy at my race last weekend that did IMAZ in April with you. He was so upset- said it was the crappiest swag bag he's ever gotten. He said for an ironman entry fee he was expecting nicer fluff in the race packets. Interesting...