Posted By Geoff Wieczynski on 02 May 2010 11:47 PM
RNP: My season has been a mess. I've changed jobs and working too many hours. I have signed up for a HIM on 9/11/10. I have used the season planner and it recommends 7 weeks of 0S. What week of OS should I start at? Thanks Geoff
GW -
I think you need to chill out a bit. Last thing you need is an aggro schedule that is pushing your limits on top of everything else. I would go basic week (where is that thing???) , spicing things up with a weekly group ride and a weekly group run, everything else can flex depending on mojo, etc. So stay fit, have some fun, be flexible and even a little social....so you are ready to be focused when it matters. How does that sound?
Chaps! On Transition week after completing full 20wk Adv OS - dropping into week 7 of HIM 12-week (Adv) plan to prep me for UK70.3 on June 20.
Detail is below - due to the schedule I missed BBW & Big day - I've entered a local middle distance event on May 23, plan was to use it as RR #1, pace it all but shut-down after mile 6 of the run (end of Lap 1 conveniently) so I can train thru.
Do i also need to squeeze a run test (just done a Half Mary test run) and bike test in there at some point. I'd think bike zones are fine at the moment, not on top of the watts at all, i.e. still a challenge - however, have the opportunity to do a 25m evening TT on the 12th May which I could use? Be a good hour of threshold work on a good flattish course 10mins from home.
Your thoughts Gents?
5/3/2010
22
13.1 mile run test (done)
Transition - Week 1
5/10/2010
23
Bike test – local evening 25m TT.
Race Prep - Week 7
5/17/2010
24
B-Race Middle Distance Tri – RR #1
Race Prep - Week 8
5/24/2010
25
Race Prep - Week 9
5/31/2010
26
RR #2
Race Prep - Week 10
6/7/2010
27
Race Prep - Week 11
6/14/2010
28
UK70.3 A-Race (sun 20th)
Race Week
D
David -
Thanks for the update! Don't sweat another run test, the half is fine! And that bike TT will be perfect! I would like to see you put in some volume there, mabye back up that race in wk 24 with a sunday of a longer ride as well? Want to make sure you get enough "far" in before the race. You could add more bikeing to week 25, but that's getting close to race day. So option 1 = bigger weekend of race with more bike volume. Option 2 = more bike volume just spread across week 25.
Coaches, My recovery from bunion and nerve removal surgery is taking a little longer than expected. I had to buy a larger size biking shoe(1 size up/wide) just to get back on the bike. My race scheduled was to do a half iron late june. Not to push the race, but just get back into the groove. Can you give me an adjusted plan, or advise for the 6 weeks from now to the half? I dont expect greatness or a record breaker, just a good time and a test run on the new foot. My dad is at the nursing home on the bike course and has always enjoyed the triathlon going by there. My mom and the nursing staff roll him out special for the race every year I roll thru, give him a hug and continue on the race while he waves and mom cheers on the racers. My overall plan is to get to RI this july to sign up for placid in 2011(2nd round), reach the beach 200 mile relay in NH (sept), do my first full outseason (nov), then placid (7/2011).
Thanks Coaches as usual, I would have never finished IMLP 2009 without you and the team
Mike N Derry NH btw - open water temps in local pond up to 61 degrees (30" deep at about 8' off boat ramp)
OK-IM ST George is done, it was slow-way slow, but I feel fine, considering the chaos in the first part of my year no big deal. I have decided to do IM Cozumel in November and Savage Man in September. Also, a new challenge-my job is now 7 days on 7 days off third shift hours 9pm-7am. Where do I go from here? Yes, I know a week or two of recovery, Nice to meet you in St. George Rich-thanks for the encouraging words-it was a fun
Posted By Geoff Wieczynski on 02 May 2010 11:47 PM
RNP: My season has been a mess. I've changed jobs and working too many hours. I have signed up for a HIM on 9/11/10. I have used the season planner and it recommends 7 weeks of 0S. What week of OS should I start at? Thanks Geoff
GW -
I think you need to chill out a bit. Last thing you need is an aggro schedule that is pushing your limits on top of everything else. I would go basic week (where is that thing???) , spicing things up with a weekly group ride and a weekly group run, everything else can flex depending on mojo, etc. So stay fit, have some fun, be flexible and even a little social....so you are ready to be focused when it matters. How does that sound?
P
You are wise. I think that is a much smarter play. Spot on the mojo. Last year was a year training in the dungeon! I've been catching a spin class once a week--which has been nice (throwing a couple of EN sets in as part of those workouts). I'll put the change request in today.
Hi Coaches and WSM: I think this fell thru the cracks...
Good Idea or Not? I have not raced for a little over a year now due to plantar fasciitis and a torn calf muscle. I have been given the "all clear" now by my treating docs. Currently have Chicago Oly at the end of August and then Soma 1/2 at end of October as my A race. The long term goal is to give it my best shot to get a KQ and I am looking at IMMOO and IMAZ in 2011 to try for 2012. My wife decided that she thinks a trip to Cozumel this November would be fun and just happened to notice that entries are still open. This would be 5 weeks after my A race. I do have a lot of time left to raise the bar for a whole IM. I have not done a full but have managed 1/2s with no problem (other than injury.)
Should I wait and see how the recovery goes this year? Should I just bite the bullet and give it a shot? Keep the 1/2 as an A race and follow up with IMCOZ? Change the A race to IMCOZ and make Soma a B? Looking for some collective wisdom from da haus. Thanks, Dave
Hello Coaches -- I am in a position to do two big tri/bike weeks in a row. Here's the rough plan. Feedback? Will this kill me or make me a ninja?
Four weeks out from High Cliff 1/2 "B" race. I'm traveling with my sister to Fargo, ND, where she's racing the mary and I'm signed up for the 1/2. I'm taking my road bike (no power). I'm thinking I'll worry about distance/time on bike/run for all this and not worry about pace. There appears to be a nice 42-mile bike loop on map my ride, so my plan is to ride primarily on that. Wednesday, 5/19 -42 mile bike, plus 8-9 mile run Thursday, 5/20 - 84-mile bike Friday, 5/21 - 5k at my 8 y.o. niece, Addie's, pace; 84-mile bike Saturday, 5/22 - 1/2 mary, pacing sister for first half, until turnoff. Sunday - 5/23 - Travel
Monday 5/24 - Day of Rest/Swim Tuesday - 5/25 - Bike intervals/brick run scheduled Wednesday - 5/26 - Run intervals as scheduled Thursday - 5/27 - Bike intervals as scheduled
(To Madison, to ride with the EN Memorial Day Camp crew) Friday - 5/28 - Drive to Madison in Evening; RR swim in the morning? Saturday - 5/29 - Race Rehearsal - 56 miles of whatever the Madison Memorial Day crew is riding, plus six-mile run Sunday - 5/30 - IMWI course Monday - 5/31 - TBD
@Kristen, any time is a good time up until 12wks out from your race. It's more a function of where does it work best with your schedule. Within 12sks it will start to bump up against RR's, etc, requiring a bit more planning. My advice is to use the Season Planning Tool to lay it out, give us some options, we'll take a look and let you know what we think. I always like to go BBW, as the recovery cost is lower, I feel.
Sheryl, you need to go away for at least a week...seriously. Go away . Don't worry about that stuff now, we can sort it out later. Nice to meet you too!.
@Dave, see our Season Planning Tools here. If you do decide to do Coz, then that becomes your A-race, you do one of our IM plans, and Soma is worked into it as a B or C race. No such thing as a non-A Ironman, in other words. As for whether or not Coz is a good race for you to qualify, sounds to me like your injury issues say that doing something next year would be better. Find my thread, in the Club House, I think, where I talk about my own training and couple extended periods of single sport focus.
@Beth, first week looks fine. Recommend you do the runs in the AM, before the ride. The rest of the schedule looks good too. Have fun!
@Mike, welcome back! . I say go to the Training Plan FAQ page and see how to load up/change training plans yourself. Start with the Beginner, take it for a spin, and then come back in here to ask us for advice on how to change it. I suspect you'll want to dial down the length and intensity of the runs but let's just see first.
I'm signed up for Augusta 70.3 on 9/26/10. Official 12 week plan starts 7/4 and I'm to stay in OS til then. I plan to do some sprints along the way, but what OS week should I start in ?
I will keep you posted. Imlp registration is out for me in RI. for 2011 (unable to race to register) I will be seeing you guys the morning after in placid this year.
First the disclaimer....I am most definitely resting after St. G. A few easy runs, rides and swims over the next two weeks, and getting back on my bike commuting (to balance my carbon load from all that driving to, around, and from St. George). Then on 5/21 I have some oral surgery scheduled and will have some recovery (that will include not being allowed to raise my heart rate for at least 1.5 weeks) following that....My request for input here is to validate a date for the calendar for starting back up with something a bit more structured...Once I have the date I'm not gonna think about it until it's here.
Races on the calendar include a sprint on 6/19, olympic on 7/11 (after Veyo, Old Stage in Boulder will be cake!), and then my summer focus race Boulder70.3 (for which I have a time goal based on prior races on this course, and to redeem my execution issues at St. G.). My rough estimate would be to start back on 6/8 with just getting a scheduled workout rhythm going again, and then start on 6/13 at week 8 of HIM plan.
I'm catching a lot of flack from my ATL tri friends to do Ironman Augusta 70.3 on September 26, 2010. However, my A race is Florida Ironman on November 6th. Do you think I should do the HIM only six weeks before the whole enchilada? I'm thinking no. Perhaps I treat it as a RR, but I fear my competitive juices will get the best of me.
I've been off the grid for about 3 weeks now with some serious back spasms/pain. I've had some significant history with lower back disc herniations, but life has been very good for the past 8-10 years. Anyway, I am just attempting to get back into my 20-wk Half plan after pretty much 3 weeks off. I am on week 17, with my A race being Mooseman 70.3 (my first Half-Iron).
I know I'm jumping the gun a bit - before I even see how this week goes - but I just couldn't wait any longer to get your feedback on what I should do (with my RR coming up, etc) Should I be calling the race directors and asking if I can switch to the Olympic race on Saturday? Or is 4 weeks of training (after 3 weeks off) sufficient to get me ready for my 1st Half? Granted I'll need to make some adjustments to my race-day goals.
Thanks - I just need someone to talk me off the ledge, or tell me to lean over it farther
@Bill, I recommend you repeat the last 8-10wks of the OS plan.
@Olivia, I think your plan looks good. Please use the Season Planning Tools to sketch this out and perhaps post here for more detail.
@Clinton, 6wks is too close. Tell your friends to join you for FL if they want to race with you. And don't do the race as a race rehearsal/easy training day. That's a waste of time and money.
@Geoff, I think you should roll to the Oly and pick another HIM for later in the season if you still want to do one. My intuition is that you'll be in finisher/survival/is my back going to go out mode for the race. Just wouldn't be fun. Better to pick a distance that's a better fit for your current fitness and tee up another race for later in the summer, if you have the bandwidth for it.
Quick bio. I joined for your trial in the fall. After a month, I had to quit, but was able to come back aboard in March. So I had a chance to do some of your OS and then adapt the best I could until I rejoined. I had about 3 weeks of my own workouts before my schedule kicked in in March which was the 20 wk Intermediate HIM plan. I'm in the second week and finding that the OS workouts are harder then the 20 wk plan... so far. I can't view farther into the plans yet, so I asked in the general forum for some input and most said to go back to the OS plans until maybe 12 to 8 weeks out of my race in Sept. Matt mentioned that I should stay the course that the plans are set up that way for a reason and the work will come. My first feeling is to go with Matt, but I guess I'm anxious. My problem is that I only have time for one race for the next few seasons until the kids get older so I'll be in this boat for a while. An example would be for tonight's run and I see 2X1 mile and just over a week ago I did 2X800, 1 mile, and 1.5 miles, and felt good about it, and for the bike, I had been getting used to doing my 2X20 bike workout (not from OS that I had, but may have been in there latter weeks) and felt that was one of the main reasons my ftp has gone up quite quickly other than the fact that I suck. So, I don't want to question the plans, I'm not a coach, but I'll throw the question to you to get some thoughts. Thank you.
I joined early this year. I was coming off back to back Ironman races at Wisconsin and Arizona. I took the time completely off from AZ to Christmas and started easing back into a January OS. It all got the best of me and I kind of dropped off the OS about 6 weeks ago (needed a little mental break from structured training).
I'm at the official end of my OS, but looking for guidance on getting back on track. I haven't been sedentary, just not following the plan. I did a sprint race a couple weeks ago. My bike is definitely weak (25mph winds, only avg 19.1). It was literally the first swimming I had done since AZ, so that was pretty weak too (around 2:00/100 pace). Run was still solid (19:45 5k). I haven't been doing any testing recently to give you any other info on my current fitness.
Plan for the year is 20K 6/5, 10K leg of Oly on 6/13, Racine 7/18, Pigman half 8/22, Chicago marathon. Normally I would like to do some smaller races in there, but I don't have time this year.
I'm curious on your thoughts about what to do from here.
Hey Coaches, In the off season I was doing a lot of hill repeats, and I believe that really helped my legs get stronger. In the IM season tng plan (20 week intermediate), where should I add hill runs (if I should)? This week during the 5 x 1/2 mile, I did three 1/2 mile intervals then did one mile worth of hill repeats. Should I try to put them in my long run instead?
I am scheduled for IMCoz in November, and don't have anything else on my schedule. I have my season laid out with General Prep starting in early July. Until then, I want to do something but can't decide exactly what I should be doing. I am starting running again this weekend (haven't done any running since NOLA 70.3 in mid April.
I have thought about doing part of the OS - just a few weeks to pass the time until General Prep. Also, I know we don't condone a bunch of base building work, but, I thought maybe I could layer on some miles in z2 and z3 as I can (no super-strict plan ) between now and then. I have also thought about (but basically rejected) the idea of sitting on my butt...I really don't have the ability to turn everything off...I will literally go crazy. I AM going to be doing, twice a week, a training routine consisting of a few sprints, a mile and a half run, and some pushups, pullups, and situps in preparation for a physical fitness test I am taking in July.
hopefully (if I finally manage to make family and work duties fit) next Sunday I'll be doing my biggest race of the season (a 70.3, the Barcelona Half Challenge). I've been following the 12 weeks Half IM Intermediate Plan, and before that I did the OS, starting in October. For me, this is not going to be a year to look for PBs and enter challenging races. I've just had my first son (he's still 6 weeks old), I am studying for a Doctorate (in London = lots of traveling) and I still have a job to look after. I've decided however not to stop, and try not to loose a lot of fitness, and race and train as much as I can, given my time / energy / sleep constraints (it also helps me to de-stress from all the other stuff). What I had thought I could do for the rest of the year is: a few olympics in the summer (I've already entered one the 23rd of May, close to home, and the CapTex Tri in Austin, TX, on the 31st, where I'll be on a teaching trip) and fall (until early october), and then an OS starting October / November... and see from there how much time / energy / sleep I've got, as my kid grows, to train for races for next summer (dreaming of IMs in Nice, Germany or Copenhagen)... after all this rambling, the question is, what should I do now, until the official OS in October, to keep me fit this summer?. I guess I won't have more than one-two hours of training every day (including weekends) and some days I'll just have no time / energy for anything (it's already happened). The options I am considering are:
- An extended OS-like period for the summer, to keep me fit / fast for the Oly races
- Taking the year off from EN (and coming back in October / November) and follow this summer an Oly training plan... that I can get from some book, but where I won't find the EN philosophy that I've learned to enjoy.
I would love to stay with EN... and I'd like your honest feedback about my situation.
@Dan, (and hopefully others reading this post), our thoughts on the plans:
OS: our best solution for making you much, much faster. This is our default solution that, whenever possible, we want you to follow. If you like you can always do the outdoor long bike/long run option to add maybe another 2hrs across the week but, when in doubt or in a long gap between plans or races, we like you to do the OS because it's low volume (ie, low life cost) and very good at making you much faster.
IM and HIM plans:
20wk: we wrote these primarly for people on the outside (our training plan customers) for whom we wanted to provide a solution that basically assumes that on Week 1 they don't have much fitness. Since you are inside and have been doing the OS, you are far, far beyond Week 1 of these 20wk plans.
12wk: applicable to both members and those outside. These 12wks are exactly the same as the last 12wks of the 20wk plans above. This is 12wks of race prep.
So, whenver possible, we like to keep you in the OS for as long as we can. For IM athletes this can be as deep as 16wks out from their race. For HIM athletes, 12-8wks. These two solutions are good ones, they work, and we can talk about them, present them to you on the inside because we can have conversations like this and can help you manage your training.
Bottomline:
When in doubt, cue up the OS plan and follow it, doing the swims if you want/need to and adding maybe 1-1.5hrs to the long bike and 20-30' to the long run.
Do this until about 8wks out from your HIM. Then load up the HIM plan to end on your race. If you're not confident with "only" 8wks of HIM training, then start it 12wks out, or see my OS volume addition guidance above.
Hopefully, what we can develop over time as a team is the collective confidence that the bike fitness and endurance you build with "only" a 1.5-2hr hammer session, or a 80-90' very challenging run is more than enough to prepare you, very well, for a 3hr ride or 2hr run. Anyone reading this post right now could walk out of their office, hop on a bike and, litterally, ride all day. You don't know that cuz you haven't done it but I've seen it a thousand times. Volume is overrated :-)
@Tom, I think you should load up the 20wk HIM plan to end on Pigman and just follow that. Please use the Season Planning Tool to lay out your season.
@Heather, adding a lot of hills to your long run would be great. That said IMWI is a relatively flat run course. There a couple short hills, but nothing like the relatively long climbs of IMLP.
@Stephen, I recommend you do the last 8-12wks of the OS plan and see my guidance above about adding moderate volume to it.
Hi...a more detailed (pre-race and race report) version is in an e-mail I sent you...
I saw an ortho doc yesterday and we reviewed my x-ray and MRI. I was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff tear, a Superior labral tear of the right shoulder and to top it off right Acromioclavicular (AC Joint) Arthritis. Surgery is an option but I've (with the doc's advice) declined that for now. We agreed to have me work with a physical therapist to stabilize the shoulder. The hope is let things heal (the labral tear may never heal) and become symptom free. This all means greatly reducing my training but not stopping. I also need to change my swim stroke to reduce some of the wear and tear on the shoulder.
My question has to do with with EN. Although I haven't picked another Ironman (I will), what should I do with training/team membership until I resume active training?
Thanks in advance...any input for would be greatly appreciated
RnP, back on (at this point, page 31) I posted my mileage for Habitat 500. Looking for some guidance on that week. My thought after reading other posts and plans is that I make the week before a mini running concentration and on Habitat 500 week, do bricks on the shorter bike days and just figure it's uber bike training week? Should I pick zones for particular days to concentrate on? I'm actually feeling ok with it but want to take the biggest advantage I can of the concentrated week of riding. Thanks!
As you said, I'm back for advice after finishing out the collegiate lacrosse season, with as much swim/bike/run as feasible with final exams coming up (this and next week).
I'm signed up for HIM Racine the 18th of July, and IMWI, 12th of September, and I need to jump into a plan. I know they're spaced too close together, but I needed something to look forward to instead of spacing way out and only focusing on IMWI. So I have 8 weeks until HIM Racine, What do you think about jumping into the full IM plan for 6 weeks, 1-2 week taper, race HIM, 2 weeks recover/active recovery, Then jump back into the IM plan with 6 weeks left until IMWI? Or would this be complete suicide? If it's any benefit i'll spend the week after the HIM on hyperbaric oxygen, which speeds up recovery... decompression diving in Florida
Just got done with IMFL 70.3 5/16/10 and plan to recover over the next two weeks. I have my A race coming up on 9/12/10 and was review the season planner. I have a slight twist in that I will be leaving for Brazil from 6/3/10 to 6/19/10. I will not have a bike with me, but would be able to swim and run. Should I just do the 12 week race prep when I get back on 6/20/10 or start sooner on 6/6/10 or 6/13/10 and modify the plan a little.
STEP TWO: Determine Your Time Gap (Pick Desired Transition Duration)
Do Not Edit These Please Time Gap A Race Name Rev 3 A Race Date 9/12/2010 16.00 Race Prep Start (12wks) 6/20/2010 4.00 Early Races 1wk Transition: 6/13/2010 3.00 Early Races 2wk Transition: 6/6/2010 2.00
@Joe, I'll find that email and answer that rather than in this thread. Thanks for your patience, hitting the forum and email in a fatigue/caffeinated state .
@Sheryl, make the week before a run week. For the week itself, just ride. Don't worry about fitting in the runs unless it's very easy, logisically, to do so. Then recommend you do them in the AM. For pacing, just ride z1-2, or with power 70-80% as you feel. You gotta have the long term view every day and across the week. Anything at/above FTP will really start to add up quickly and won't make downstream rides very enjoyable.
See the Training Plan FAQ in the Wiki for help with loading up the plan. Recommend you load up the IM plan to END on IMWI.
See the Self-Coaching Guide in the Wiki for help with inserting Racine into that training plan, not as a full on taper but as a B race.
@Steve, recommend you load up the 12wk plan to END on the date of your race in Sept. Then go "heavy" on the bike before your vacation, vacation = a run focus, and just pick up the plan where you're supposed to be when you get back.
I am in the OS for 12-15 weeks going forward now (advanced plan)...and I have a question about the Tues/Thurs bike sessions. With it being nice, and with my race so far away (November), AND with the weather being conducive to nice early morning group rides...what are your thoughts on my doing my normal 60-75 minute group ride at 5:30am in place of the scheduled bike sessions? Whenon these rides, I spend the majority of the time above z3...only really ever getting down into z3 when I drop off the front for a quick rest. As such, there is a LOT of z4-5 time. If not both Tues and Thurs, what about using the group ride as one or the other?
Today, for instance, I had a 60 min bike and 20 min run scheduled and I just came in and picked up the run as a brick and was done by 7am...it was a nice outing.
Coaches, I trust you can sort out my confusion. In April I bought 12 week Intermediate IM plan. Got all the stuff, have been working from the PDF training plan. In May I bought into membership. A 20week plan was loaded for me. I have tried to match up week 1-2-3 of the 12 week plan with the week 8-9 etc on the plan loaded. They do not sync up. So, I am not sure what I should be following as I can only see weeks 8-9 of the 20week. Is the 12 week plan simply put the last 12 weeks of the 20 week plan?
Comments
GW -
I think you need to chill out a bit. Last thing you need is an aggro schedule that is pushing your limits on top of everything else. I would go basic week (where is that thing???) , spicing things up with a weekly group ride and a weekly group run, everything else can flex depending on mojo, etc. So stay fit, have some fun, be flexible and even a little social....so you are ready to be focused when it matters. How does that sound?
P
D
David -
Thanks for the update! Don't sweat another run test, the half is fine! And that bike TT will be perfect! I would like to see you put in some volume there, mabye back up that race in wk 24 with a sunday of a longer ride as well? Want to make sure you get enough "far" in before the race. You could add more bikeing to week 25, but that's getting close to race day. So option 1 = bigger weekend of race with more bike volume. Option 2 = more bike volume just spread across week 25.
And time to nail the watts!!
P
My recovery from bunion and nerve removal surgery is taking a little longer than expected. I had to buy a larger size biking shoe(1 size up/wide) just to get back on the bike. My race scheduled was to do a half iron late june. Not to push the race, but just get back into the groove. Can you give me an adjusted plan, or advise for the 6 weeks from now to the half? I dont expect greatness or a record breaker, just a good time and a test run on the new foot. My dad is at the nursing home on the bike course and has always enjoyed the triathlon going by there. My mom and the nursing staff roll him out special for the race every year I roll thru, give him a hug and continue on the race while he waves and mom cheers on the racers.
My overall plan is to get to RI this july to sign up for placid in 2011(2nd round), reach the beach 200 mile relay in NH (sept), do my first full outseason (nov), then placid (7/2011).
Thanks Coaches as usual, I would have never finished IMLP 2009 without you and the team
Mike N
Derry NH btw - open water temps in local pond up to 61 degrees (30" deep at about 8' off boat ramp)
Nice to meet you in St. George Rich-thanks for the encouraging words-it was a fun
You are wise. I think that is a much smarter play. Spot on the mojo. Last year was a year training in the dungeon! I've been catching a spin class once a week--which has been nice (throwing a couple of EN sets in as part of those workouts). I'll put the change request in today.
Hi Coaches and WSM: I think this fell thru the cracks...
Good Idea or Not? I have not raced for a little over a year now due to plantar fasciitis and a torn calf muscle. I have been given the "all clear" now by my treating docs. Currently have Chicago Oly at the end of August and then Soma 1/2 at end of October as my A race. The long term goal is to give it my best shot to get a KQ and I am looking at IMMOO and IMAZ in 2011 to try for 2012. My wife decided that she thinks a trip to Cozumel this November would be fun and just happened to notice that entries are still open. This would be 5 weeks after my A race. I do have a lot of time left to raise the bar for a whole IM. I have not done a full but have managed 1/2s with no problem (other than injury.)
Should I wait and see how the recovery goes this year? Should I just bite the bullet and give it a shot? Keep the 1/2 as an A race and follow up with IMCOZ? Change the A race to IMCOZ and make Soma a B? Looking for some collective wisdom from da haus.
Thanks, Dave
Four weeks out from High Cliff 1/2 "B" race. I'm traveling with my sister to Fargo, ND, where she's racing the mary and I'm signed up for the 1/2. I'm taking my road bike (no power). I'm thinking I'll worry about distance/time on bike/run for all this and not worry about pace. There appears to be a nice 42-mile bike loop on map my ride, so my plan is to ride primarily on that.
Wednesday, 5/19 -42 mile bike, plus 8-9 mile run
Thursday, 5/20 - 84-mile bike
Friday, 5/21 - 5k at my 8 y.o. niece, Addie's, pace; 84-mile bike
Saturday, 5/22 - 1/2 mary, pacing sister for first half, until turnoff.
Sunday - 5/23 - Travel
Monday 5/24 - Day of Rest/Swim
Tuesday - 5/25 - Bike intervals/brick run scheduled
Wednesday - 5/26 - Run intervals as scheduled
Thursday - 5/27 - Bike intervals as scheduled
(To Madison, to ride with the EN Memorial Day Camp crew)
Friday - 5/28 - Drive to Madison in Evening; RR swim in the morning?
Saturday - 5/29 - Race Rehearsal - 56 miles of whatever the Madison Memorial Day crew is riding, plus six-mile run
Sunday - 5/30 - IMWI course
Monday - 5/31 - TBD
@Kristen, any time is a good time up until 12wks out from your race. It's more a function of where does it work best with your schedule. Within 12sks it will start to bump up against RR's, etc, requiring a bit more planning. My advice is to use the Season Planning Tool to lay it out, give us some options, we'll take a look and let you know what we think. I always like to go BBW, as the recovery cost is lower, I feel.
Sheryl, you need to go away for at least a week...seriously. Go away
. Don't worry about that stuff now, we can sort it out later. Nice to meet you too!
.
@Dave, see our Season Planning Tools here. If you do decide to do Coz, then that becomes your A-race, you do one of our IM plans, and Soma is worked into it as a B or C race. No such thing as a non-A Ironman, in other words. As for whether or not Coz is a good race for you to qualify, sounds to me like your injury issues say that doing something next year would be better. Find my thread, in the Club House, I think, where I talk about my own training and couple extended periods of single sport focus.
@Beth, first week looks fine. Recommend you do the runs in the AM, before the ride. The rest of the schedule looks good too. Have fun!
@Mike, welcome back!
. I say go to the Training Plan FAQ page and see how to load up/change training plans yourself. Start with the Beginner, take it for a spin, and then come back in here to ask us for advice on how to change it. I suspect you'll want to dial down the length and intensity of the runs but let's just see first.
Guys,
I'm signed up for Augusta 70.3 on 9/26/10. Official 12 week plan starts 7/4 and I'm to stay in OS til then. I plan to do some sprints along the way, but what OS week should I start in ?
Thx. B
thanks Rich
I will keep you posted. Imlp registration is out for me in RI. for 2011 (unable to race to register) I will be seeing you guys the morning after in placid this year.
Mike
Races on the calendar include a sprint on 6/19, olympic on 7/11 (after Veyo, Old Stage in Boulder will be cake!), and then my summer focus race Boulder70.3 (for which I have a time goal based on prior races on this course, and to redeem my execution issues at St. G.). My rough estimate would be to start back on 6/8 with just getting a scheduled workout rhythm going again, and then start on 6/13 at week 8 of HIM plan.
Thoughts and recos are appreciated!
I'm catching a lot of flack from my ATL tri friends to do Ironman Augusta 70.3 on September 26, 2010. However, my A race is Florida Ironman on November 6th. Do you think I should do the HIM only six weeks before the whole enchilada? I'm thinking no. Perhaps I treat it as a RR, but I fear my competitive juices will get the best of me.
Clint
I've been off the grid for about 3 weeks now with some serious back spasms/pain. I've had some significant history with lower back disc herniations, but life has been very good for the past 8-10 years. Anyway, I am just attempting to get back into my 20-wk Half plan after pretty much 3 weeks off. I am on week 17, with my A race being Mooseman 70.3 (my first Half-Iron).
I know I'm jumping the gun a bit - before I even see how this week goes - but I just couldn't wait any longer to get your feedback on what I should do (with my RR coming up, etc) Should I be calling the race directors and asking if I can switch to the Olympic race on Saturday? Or is 4 weeks of training (after 3 weeks off) sufficient to get me ready for my 1st Half? Granted I'll need to make some adjustments to my race-day goals.
Thanks - I just need someone to talk me off the ledge, or tell me to lean over it farther
Geoff
@Bill, I recommend you repeat the last 8-10wks of the OS plan.
@Olivia, I think your plan looks good. Please use the Season Planning Tools to sketch this out and perhaps post here for more detail.
@Clinton, 6wks is too close. Tell your friends to join you for FL if they want to race with you. And don't do the race as a race rehearsal/easy training day. That's a waste of time and money.
@Geoff, I think you should roll to the Oly and pick another HIM for later in the season if you still want to do one. My intuition is that you'll be in finisher/survival/is my back going to go out mode for the race. Just wouldn't be fun. Better to pick a distance that's a better fit for your current fitness and tee up another race for later in the summer, if you have the bandwidth for it.
Well said - thanks for the great insight, Rich. I think that's what my heart was saying, but I wasn't listening.
Coaches,
Quick bio. I joined for your trial in the fall. After a month, I had to quit, but was able to come back aboard in March. So I had a chance to do some of your OS and then adapt the best I could until I rejoined. I had about 3 weeks of my own workouts before my schedule kicked in in March which was the 20 wk Intermediate HIM plan. I'm in the second week and finding that the OS workouts are harder then the 20 wk plan... so far. I can't view farther into the plans yet, so I asked in the general forum for some input and most said to go back to the OS plans until maybe 12 to 8 weeks out of my race in Sept. Matt mentioned that I should stay the course that the plans are set up that way for a reason and the work will come. My first feeling is to go with Matt, but I guess I'm anxious. My problem is that I only have time for one race for the next few seasons until the kids get older so I'll be in this boat for a while. An example would be for tonight's run and I see 2X1 mile and just over a week ago I did 2X800, 1 mile, and 1.5 miles, and felt good about it, and for the bike, I had been getting used to doing my 2X20 bike workout (not from OS that I had, but may have been in there latter weeks) and felt that was one of the main reasons my ftp has gone up quite quickly other than the fact that I suck. So, I don't want to question the plans, I'm not a coach, but I'll throw the question to you to get some thoughts. Thank you.
Dan
I joined early this year. I was coming off back to back Ironman races at Wisconsin and Arizona. I took the time completely off from AZ to Christmas and started easing back into a January OS. It all got the best of me and I kind of dropped off the OS about 6 weeks ago (needed a little mental break from structured training).
I'm at the official end of my OS, but looking for guidance on getting back on track. I haven't been sedentary, just not following the plan. I did a sprint race a couple weeks ago. My bike is definitely weak (25mph winds, only avg 19.1). It was literally the first swimming I had done since AZ, so that was pretty weak too (around 2:00/100 pace). Run was still solid (19:45 5k). I haven't been doing any testing recently to give you any other info on my current fitness.
Plan for the year is 20K 6/5, 10K leg of Oly on 6/13, Racine 7/18, Pigman half 8/22, Chicago marathon. Normally I would like to do some smaller races in there, but I don't have time this year.
I'm curious on your thoughts about what to do from here.
In the off season I was doing a lot of hill repeats, and I believe that really helped my legs get stronger. In the IM season tng plan (20 week intermediate), where should I add hill runs (if I should)? This week during the 5 x 1/2 mile, I did three 1/2 mile intervals then did one mile worth of hill repeats. Should I try to put them in my long run instead?
Heather
RnP
I am scheduled for IMCoz in November, and don't have anything else on my schedule. I have my season laid out with General Prep starting in early July. Until then, I want to do something but can't decide exactly what I should be doing. I am starting running again this weekend (haven't done any running since NOLA 70.3 in mid April.
I have thought about doing part of the OS - just a few weeks to pass the time until General Prep. Also, I know we don't condone a bunch of base building work, but, I thought maybe I could layer on some miles in z2 and z3 as I can (no super-strict plan ) between now and then. I have also thought about (but basically rejected) the idea of sitting on my butt...I really don't have the ability to turn everything off...I will literally go crazy. I AM going to be doing, twice a week, a training routine consisting of a few sprints, a mile and a half run, and some pushups, pullups, and situps in preparation for a physical fitness test I am taking in July.
What do you recommend?
Hey coaches,
hopefully (if I finally manage to make family and work duties fit) next Sunday I'll be doing my biggest race of the season (a 70.3, the Barcelona Half Challenge). I've been following the 12 weeks Half IM Intermediate Plan, and before that I did the OS, starting in October. For me, this is not going to be a year to look for PBs and enter challenging races. I've just had my first son (he's still 6 weeks old), I am studying for a Doctorate (in London = lots of traveling) and I still have a job to look after. I've decided however not to stop, and try not to loose a lot of fitness, and race and train as much as I can, given my time / energy / sleep constraints (it also helps me to de-stress from all the other stuff). What I had thought I could do for the rest of the year is: a few olympics in the summer (I've already entered one the 23rd of May, close to home, and the CapTex Tri in Austin, TX, on the 31st, where I'll be on a teaching trip) and fall (until early october), and then an OS starting October / November... and see from there how much time / energy / sleep I've got, as my kid grows, to train for races for next summer (dreaming of IMs in Nice, Germany or Copenhagen)... after all this rambling, the question is, what should I do now, until the official OS in October, to keep me fit this summer?. I guess I won't have more than one-two hours of training every day (including weekends) and some days I'll just have no time / energy for anything (it's already happened). The options I am considering are:
- An extended OS-like period for the summer, to keep me fit / fast for the Oly races
- Taking the year off from EN (and coming back in October / November) and follow this summer an Oly training plan... that I can get from some book, but where I won't find the EN philosophy that I've learned to enjoy.
I would love to stay with EN... and I'd like your honest feedback about my situation.
Thanks a lot in advance,
Jaime
@Dan, (and hopefully others reading this post), our thoughts on the plans:
Bottomline:
Hopefully, what we can develop over time as a team is the collective confidence that the bike fitness and endurance you build with "only" a 1.5-2hr hammer session, or a 80-90' very challenging run is more than enough to prepare you, very well, for a 3hr ride or 2hr run. Anyone reading this post right now could walk out of their office, hop on a bike and, litterally, ride all day. You don't know that cuz you haven't done it but I've seen it a thousand times. Volume is overrated :-)
@Tom, I think you should load up the 20wk HIM plan to end on Pigman and just follow that. Please use the Season Planning Tool to lay out your season.
@Heather, adding a lot of hills to your long run would be great. That said IMWI is a relatively flat run course. There a couple short hills, but nothing like the relatively long climbs of IMLP.
@Stephen, I recommend you do the last 8-12wks of the OS plan and see my guidance above about adding moderate volume to it.
I saw an ortho doc yesterday and we reviewed my x-ray and MRI. I was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff tear, a Superior labral tear of the right shoulder and to top it off right Acromioclavicular (AC Joint) Arthritis. Surgery is an option but I've (with the doc's advice) declined that for now. We agreed to have me work with a physical therapist to stabilize the shoulder. The hope is let things heal (the labral tear may never heal) and become symptom free. This all means greatly reducing my training but not stopping. I also need to change my swim stroke to reduce some of the wear and tear on the shoulder.
My question has to do with with EN. Although I haven't picked another Ironman (I will), what should I do with training/team membership until I resume active training?
Thanks in advance...any input for would be greatly appreciated
Sheryl
As you said, I'm back for advice after finishing out the collegiate lacrosse season, with as much swim/bike/run as feasible with final exams coming up (this and next week).
I'm signed up for HIM Racine the 18th of July, and IMWI, 12th of September, and I need to jump into a plan. I know they're spaced too close together, but I needed something to look forward to instead of spacing way out and only focusing on IMWI. So I have 8 weeks until HIM Racine, What do you think about jumping into the full IM plan for 6 weeks, 1-2 week taper, race HIM, 2 weeks recover/active recovery, Then jump back into the IM plan with 6 weeks left until IMWI? Or would this be complete suicide? If it's any benefit i'll spend the week after the HIM on hyperbaric oxygen, which speeds up recovery... decompression diving in Florida
-Alex
Just got done with IMFL 70.3 5/16/10 and plan to recover over the next two weeks. I have my A race coming up on 9/12/10 and was review the season planner. I have a slight twist in that I will be leaving for Brazil from 6/3/10 to 6/19/10. I will not have a bike with me, but would be able to swim and run. Should I just do the 12 week race prep when I get back on 6/20/10 or start sooner on 6/6/10 or 6/13/10 and modify the plan a little.
STEP TWO: Determine Your Time Gap (Pick Desired Transition Duration)
Do Not Edit These Please Time Gap
A Race Name Rev 3
A Race Date 9/12/2010 16.00
Race Prep Start (12wks) 6/20/2010 4.00
Early Races 1wk Transition: 6/13/2010 3.00
Early Races 2wk Transition: 6/6/2010 2.00
@Joe, I'll find that email and answer that rather than in this thread. Thanks for your patience, hitting the forum and email in a fatigue/caffeinated state
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@Sheryl, make the week before a run week. For the week itself, just ride. Don't worry about fitting in the runs unless it's very easy, logisically, to do so. Then recommend you do them in the AM. For pacing, just ride z1-2, or with power 70-80% as you feel. You gotta have the long term view every day and across the week. Anything at/above FTP will really start to add up quickly and won't make downstream rides very enjoyable.
@Alex, welcome back!
@Steve, recommend you load up the 12wk plan to END on the date of your race in Sept. Then go "heavy" on the bike before your vacation, vacation = a run focus, and just pick up the plan where you're supposed to be when you get back.
RnP
I am in the OS for 12-15 weeks going forward now (advanced plan)...and I have a question about the Tues/Thurs bike sessions. With it being nice, and with my race so far away (November), AND with the weather being conducive to nice early morning group rides...what are your thoughts on my doing my normal 60-75 minute group ride at 5:30am in place of the scheduled bike sessions? Whenon these rides, I spend the majority of the time above z3...only really ever getting down into z3 when I drop off the front for a quick rest. As such, there is a LOT of z4-5 time. If not both Tues and Thurs, what about using the group ride as one or the other?
Today, for instance, I had a 60 min bike and 20 min run scheduled and I just came in and picked up the run as a brick and was done by 7am...it was a nice outing.
Thanks for your insights!