Home› General Training Discussions

Out Season Training Plan to Ironman Plan: WHEN?

dragonflykissesdragonflykisses
in General Training Discussions

My current 20 week Out Season Plan ends May 7, which is a bit late for my Ironman Switzerland race in July. I'm thinking I'll do just 16 weeks of OS, then transition to the Ironman 12 week program.  I think I need the speed work of OS because I took 5 years off tris to play tennis. Or, would it be better to do the 20 week IM program and transition out of OS 8 weeks earlier? IM Switzerland will be my 120th race, with the 119th being a Half IM in May.  (NB: I coasted through IM Cozumel with only 18 minutes to spare, mainly because my biking endurance is so poor from the layoff.) Swimming is my best sport.

Thoughts and suggestions?

-Robert

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Robert - First, the Coaches have a special thread they keep an eye on for questions just like this. Check out the season planning entry and it's companion in the wiki, and then post this query to RnP here.

    I'll put in my two cents as a fellow 60+ athlete, training again after a layoff. Both in 06 and 09, I had a very successful race in Coeur d'Alene even though I only started the actual IM build up closer than 12 weeks before the race. In 06, I started on May 7 (!) and trained IM specific for 7 weeks; in 09, I gave myself 9 weeks. As long as you get in some 4 hour rides, and a couple of weekend back to back rides before May 7; and as long as you SLOWLY build up to a 2 hour weekly long run by then, I think the speed work in the OS will be better for you than slogging thru the IM plan for 12 weeks. And the recovery built into the OS will probably be of benefit. Also, the "speed" work may benefit us oldsters more than a fitter 20 something, who really needs to build endurance.

    In the NBC IM Hawaii broadcast yesterday, 80 y/o finisher Lew Hollander said, "I try to go anerobic at least once every day".  Our bodies after age 60 can handle it, and rebuild muscle and speed to a greater extent than was imagined even ten years ago. That speed will be a big benefit on race day, not cause you want to go fast, but because you want the slower speed you'll race at to feel easy.

    RnP may advise something different, but that's my experience.

  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Robert...the WSM's may give different advice and you should listen to them, but IMHO you should cut the OS short and do the 20 week IM program. I only say that because your Cozumel time leads me to think you would benefit more from volume than a marginally higher FTP. After getting your endurance back in 2011, a full OS would make sense.
  • dragonflykissesdragonflykisses

    Al!

    Thanks for the help!

    The TOOL suggests 15 weeks of OS, one week of transition, and 12 weeks of IM training.

    I'm very short on muscular endurance, and have a current 5K time of around 26-27 minutes at age 68, which is pretty slow I know.

    I'm also wondering if it's wise to run a marathon on March 18.  I seem pretty healthy and recovered quickly from IM Cozumel, though I didn't really push that race out of concern I wasn't fully prepared.

    -Robert

  • dragonflykissesdragonflykisses

    Thanks for the advice. I'm tempted to do that but will wait for the coaches to give their two farthings worth.

    -Robert

Sign In or Register to comment.