HIM Prior To IM - The Pros Are Doing It!
This question has been asked a few times with no real consensus, but this past weekend has me thinking.....
The 70.3 World Championships were held yesterday....3 weeks and 6 days prior to the IM World Championships. Crowie and Lieto go 1st/2nd, clearly racing all out. Other potential contenders for Kona were also in attendance. Same thing for the ladies and probably many serious AG'ers as well.
So I know these folks are pros and elites, with years of experience and top-notch fitness. But who says you can't do a HIM 4 weeks prior to an IM 'A' race. Are they that much smarter, or better at recovering? Despite their fitness, they still pay a physical price for full-on racing.
I have an opportunity to do a great tune-up race in Phoenix 4 weeks prior to IMAZ. The swim is in Tempe Town Lake and the run course basically mirrors IMAZ. I figured I would do it without skipping a beat on training. The only switch I would make is not doing the long run on Thursday (will get 13.1 on Sunday). I would still do long ride Saturday and Sunday ABP ride would be HIM race pace anyway. Swim is zero cost on the body. I have to take Monday off anyway for a prior committment. I can be back at my regular training on Tuesday and will still plan to do my final race rehearsal the following Saturday. Oh yeah. And BTW. I haven't raced at all this year and this is my only chance prior to IMAZ.
So I'm planning on signing up, but have decided to wait 48 hours to hear from the team. Coaches, WSM's, and anyone else with an opinion should chime in.
Comments
@ Terry -- so based on your plan and since you have described this in a way that it isn't going to punch a hole in your training, you could do it. How many IM and HIM have you done before and what has been your experience with recovery from HIM and with execution from IM?
Two fundamental questions for you:
Good luck in your decision.
2. Life of average Joe = Job + triathlon + other "stuff"
The difference between 1 and 2 is that Crowie and Lieto can go home, sit in their $10K recovery socks, sleep 16 hours, etc. Average Joe has to go to work, have a family, sleep 8 hours, etc. The recovery between 1 and 2 is very different. 4 weeks out of your IM you are winding down the training for those weeks and then heading into taper weeks. Adding an HIM means race + recovery week then into your taper weeks which means you'll likely not be at your peak for your race.
No, but I'd be careful comparing yourself to pros. More often than not, they are members of the lucky DNA club. They start with top shelf mitochondria and THEN they work their asses off.
But no reason you can't do it with 4 weeks recovery and executing a race day will be good especially since you haven't raced recently.
I'm of the opinion that tapering is somewhat overrated. I'm starting to think doing a 70.3 heading into the taper in the two to three weeks prior to an IM would make sense for someone with good recovery. A good hard 5-6 hour workout in race conditions. Throw down the 70.3 and then cruise into taper mode for two weeks and then the IM. That'll run contrary to popular opinion but it would keep me sharp.
I'm doing the Texas 70.3, Kemah International (Oly) and NOLA 70.3 in a three week span next April. I'd really consider adding IMTX to the mix four weeks later if it wasn't for the fact the Syracuse 70.3 is moving to June next year. I'd be way too drained to race again four weeks after IMTX.
I did a HIM 2 weeks before IMAZ that year, down in Galveston TX (what became Lonestar/Galveston 70.3). Yes, only two weeks.
That was a long time ago, right when I was getting into long course stuff. I have no doubt (now) that the HIM jeopardized my training and recovery for IMAZ. No way in heck I'd do it now, but 4 weeks I'd still consider - as long as it was a training day, not a full-blown tapered race.
You certainly CAN do the HIM prior to the IM - but I don't think THAT is the argument/question. The question is, is that an effective training tool for IM. My answer to that is no given the financial and fitness/recovery costs vs the benefits.
http://www.chrissiewellington.org/blog/the-kpr-and-more-some-thoughts-comments-and-suggestions/
@ Jennifer - tend to agree with you, and I don't have $10K socks, but I do have that whole week off work in Phoenix.
@ Bob - I've never had a problem recovering from HIM. Last year I did one 7 weeks out from IMAZ and got sick the week after. Never happened after any other HIM, but was first time in IM training. I did do a mini taper for that race.
@ Jamison - would start out racing it, but if I wasn't feeling it on the bike, I would back off to IM race pace for the rest of the race
@ Scott - that's what I'm thinking. Ignorance is bliss.
@ Stephen - I'm of the opinion that it's not a question of whether HIM is prep for an IM, it is racing that is a good prep for IM. Other people around, nerves, course support, traffic, etc. I'm not an IM rookie anymore, but I just can't imagine showing up on race day having not done another race since last year's IMAZ.
Some other thoughts.......
It is true that I, like all of you, am an average person with a job, life, committments that are not triathlon. But that doesn't make us all the same. Within the haus we have average people that range from stay-at-home parents, to people who work part time at home, to corporate executives and road warriors in addition to many 8-to-5ers with weekends off. I am a heart surgeon that is on call practically every day/night during the week and at least every other weekend (sometimes more). That means I am always tied to a pager and I have a very unpredictable schedule. I get called out of workouts all the time. I also am nearly always tied to a range distance from the hospitals where I work. In addition, I live in Alaska where it's cold and the weather is unpredictable which means there have been 2 weekends in the last 2 1/2 months that I could ride long outside. My schedule and location also means that I haven't been able to get to a race anywhere all year. This is literally my first chance to race this year.
So I'm not trying to convince myself, or anyone else, that this is a necessity. And I really don't want to blow my IM. But this seems to make sense for me as getting a little race experience and having a solid, long training day.
Is there anyone out there besides Scott that has done one 5 or less weeks out?
I also know that when I was doing high volume run training (like many of the pros do) my legs were used to the abuse and would recover much quicker. When I switched to lower volumen training I noticed right away that recover took longer after races.
Terry - It sounds like you really want to do this race, so the questions become, how to manage that without blowing a hole in your IM AZ prep.
1. First, It's along way from AK to PHX, so planning for the travel and how that will affect your training needs to be factored in, as well as DVT avoidance on the way back.
2. Your plan is to use this as a training day. That day is a 3 hour bike and a 30 minute run, adding a sterady OWS of 35 minutes is no big deal, but going from a 30 minute brick to a near 2 hour brick is another thing entirely, even if you haven't done that week's long run. Recovery will primarily depend on how much you work that run.
3. Weeks 4 and 3 before an IM are the time of peak fatigue, in my experience. I'm always on the knife edge at that point. AND, the long run and the RR in the week of Oct 24, IMO, are the MOST important training days of the last two months before the IM.
4. Putting # 2 & 3 together, It may be necessary simply bag the post-race Mon-Wed workouts, or seriously diminsh their intensity and volume, in order to be able to get the necessary benefit from the Thurs Long Run and the weekend's RR.
Final thoughts: For myself, I don't see the point of doing a race unless I'm going to RACE. If what you want is a training day in the sun, book the flight to Phoenix, and just do the EN workouts as planned. If what you want is a race, then commit to the post race recovery you'll need to get the proper training benefit from your final long workouts. Doing a race at "training speed/intensity" leaves a bad taste in my mouth, one I would not want to carry into IM AZ.
Lake Placid this year was my first IM. Seven weeks before the race I did the Mooseman weekend. Saturday was an Oly and Sunday was the HIM. I was told by many that I'd be putting a hole in my training, but I felt that not doing them was going to put a hole in my happyness - so I did them.
I rode the Oly with an IF=0.88 and ran a 48:09 - a PR for me (IF=0.9). The next day in the HIM I rode an IF=0.83 than ran 1:53 (IF=0.8). Two weeks later I did a 4 day training camp at LP. I swam 5 miles, biked 168 and ran 25. Lots of fatigue but I had so much fun doing it. That is what it is all about, right?
Next year I don't have an IM planned but I have already signed up for Mooseman weekend (Oly-HIM) and Timberman weekend (Sp-HIM). Still on the fence if I should sign up for Pumpkinman weekend (Sp-HIM). I really like the multi race weekends - they are just so much fun.
I say "Go for it!"
So the folks that have done it say that they didn't think it hurt them. I haven't seen anyone say "I did it, and it really hurt my IM".
I'm sure I will carry a certain amount of fatigue into that weekend (end of week 8), but probably less than if I trained my plan to the letter, which I'm sure won't happen. Not that I'm planning on intentionally bagging workouts. I just know that my life will get in the way of hitting all the workouts, just like last year.
@ Al - Agree with you on the important workouts of week 9 and can make it a point to do them, even if I have to take Mon-Wed off. And as far as racing, I don't see the point of "not racing" either. My intention will be to race it towards a potential PR, but not necessarily podium, etc. I will know before I get off the bike if a PR is in the cards and if it's not, then a course specific pacing run will be in order. Cross the line, get my $200 medal, and go eat.
Finally, I appreciate the comments from everyone that mentioned fun. I do triathlon to race because I really don't consider training fun....at all. So approaching almost one year of training without racing, has not been fun. I think I'm gonna have me some fun.
I will continue this story by reporting specifics related to this topic in my 2nd race rehearsal report as well as my race report.
As for fluids/nutrition - for the RR I will use my PD aquacell bottle up front and a couple of bottles in my x-lab wing behind my seat. I will have 6 hours of concentrated Infinit on me and three bottles of water. My plan will be to stop at the convenience store at the end of the Beeline to refill my water bottles once during the ride. It's a RR so I don't care about the bottles and weight. During the race I won't need to carry that much water.
"The Ironman takes around 12-16 weeks to prepare - given that you have a good base in the sport. During the 16-week period you should incorporate 2-3 races, one a half Ironman if possible and that should be done no later than 5 weeks out. You can also do a super- brick session (long swim, long bike and transition run) to replace the Half. The other races are sharpeners, as it’s always good to take your mind away from the constant grind and monotonous regime of the same roads and trails."