Last month, on Aug 6th, 2017 I finished my first IronMan in Maastricht. The time was a bit disappointing (15hrs 24m 18s) and I almost quit twice during it, but with the support of my family I crossed the line. I used a Garmin Forerunner 935 and a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt for that event and for the training before it.
Yep -that was hard
I've owned an Apple Watch since the first version, and I'm currently sitting here with a series 2 on my left wrist and an Garmin Forerunner 935 on my right wrist. Yep, I've become a "two watch guy"! It's a bit embarrassing to be honest, but I like the notifications, Apple Pay, various apps on the AW, and equally the training features in the 935, namely the Training Status. So I have both of them on.
I'm a two watch sort of chap
But now I'm wondering how far you can go with just an Apple Watch 3 as a committed triathlete. I know there are issues straight off the bat: Battery life for example, and no support for my Garmin ANT+ only vector power meters, and the IronMan rules (no "communication devices") probably means that I won't be doing an IronMan branded event. And more importantly getting the data easily and successfully into TrainingPeaks.com - which is key for tracking my progress (and for my coach if I get one at the start of next year)
But I want to give Apple Watch a shot at it, find it's weaknesses and see if there are solutions - there could be apps, or something else (maybe someone, even Apple, could create a charging strap like this one that never got released: http://bgr.com/2015/03/06/apple-watch-charging-strap?). I even have some ideas for an app that I may create.
So I'll be ordering an Apple Watch 3 with Cellular tomorrow - I'm looking forward to running and cycling without my Phone and still being able to be contactable and tracked. I've always carried my phone because of a medical condition I have which means I take Warfarin for life - in principle if I have a fall and started to bleed it might not stop, so being able to call someone when I'm miles away has always been a comfort. I'll still be using my 935 and Bolt on the bike - so I have something to compare to.
I haven't set a date for next years long course event - though I suspect it will be the Bastion at Hever Castle (which is nice and close for me), though it is a tough run, and running is the thing I am least good at. Just to give you some perspective, I am generally just above average for my age group in the swim, just below average for the bike, and way below for the run - but that's just how I roll - and 5 years ago before I started cycling and then Tri's I was way way way below average on everything! I'm targeting a sub 14hr this time, oh and I want to lose about 15kg in weight before Christmas too (which should help with that target time as long as it is body fat I am losing and not muscle!)
So wish me luck - this starts tomorrow...