The "Old Days" Versus EN Training Camp
I read the Coach's EN Training Camp Week info this morning and thought it was an awesome idea. To have the Coach's plan this weekend to ultimately insure our race weekend is just another reason why I chose to join EN. I have been with all the big names and big fee coaches (some $1,000 per month!!!!) over the years. Blah!
It is fantastic to have RnP lay this stuff out so glaringly simple yet so thoroughly thought out. After I finished reading the info I had a flash back to the "Old Days" and I wanted to share my craziest final workout with you and see what others were doing before they joined EN and wised up.
In the late 90's, early 2000's it was HARD HARD HARD if you wanted to do well and go to Kona. Here in Atlanta there were some awesome Age Groupers that still hold many of the age group records in IM and Kona and they only did it one way. Mega yardage, mega bike and run miles. They trained like they were NCAA swimmers, Cat 1 riders and Kenyan Marathon runners. I forgot to mention that they were constantly injured as well but still were stout! All of these guys became "Coaches" because of their Kona credentials. Unfortunately they coached the same way they trained: IT WAS BRUTAL.
In 2001, I was training for IMC and my coach had me do a 130 mile bike in the North GA mountains: 22k of climbing! Followed by 20X1 mile repeats at a college track. I remember the day because it was my birthday. I kissed my wife goodbye at about 4:00 am and got back home around 9:30pm. By the time I got to IMC I had in affect ran TWO ironman races in the span of two weeks. I did an 11:35 that day but I think I would have done much better had I not been fried from the pre taper workout.
This is a little bit of a shaggy dog story but I am really curious what lunacy everyone else has done prior to EN and also to thank the Coach's for the concept!
Comments
The old days...
Ray,
No coach just the lunacy I inflicted upon myself.
For the 2004 IMLP my inagural race in IMt. I droped in to LP in March and road 1 lap of the course in March before moving west 2000 miles. Fully geared up riding my 10 speed (only bike I had at the time) in the rain. I realized two things not the best timing and I needed a bike with a few more gears.
Once in Edmonton and back to the snow I continued to do long trainer rides and completed a couple 6 hours rides on the trainer. Once it warmed up i did an 8 hour bike and a couple hours running. I was not doing epic or crazy mileage by any stretch but it was enough to get me a foot injury and walk most of the marathon that year for a 16:09:03.
@Gord Pretty darn good all things considered!