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6 Months, How is training?

jello4jello4
in Ironman Wisconsin

Hi Gang,

Yesterday marked the 6 month point to IMWI, if you are a social media user and frequent Facebooker you will undoubtably see the hype surrounding IMWI start to ratchet up right about now. The race is something to get excited about, but not 6 months out - I think the race day weather, water temperature, and 'will it be a wetsuit legal race' threads will pop up just about any time now. Really!?

Here in the haus we have a different approach and are methodically building our strength, speed, and endurance to be prepared on race day. We're nearing the end of out season - just a few more weeks to go! How is your out season? What plan do you jump in to from here (Run / Bike / Swim / Half)?

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    rlh2000rlh2000
    Whenever I see a post on the IMWI page I thank my lucky stars to be on this team with coaches who don't think we need to be in IM mode 9 months out. Based on that page, we're all far behind and doomed. We'll show them differently on race day.

    I am doing IMCdA first. In the GF plan right now, will start IM mode in a couple weeks. I'll admit I'm not where I wanted to be at this point, but doing the best I can with working ridiculous hours.
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    Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    I have St George in 7 weeks. I was doing great but the last 3 weeks have included international travel, jury service, and a cold. I am regrouping and can hopefully build back up over the next 5 weeks. Excited that we all rack together in Wisconsin!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    Overall feeling pretty good although I've had some +'s and -'s along the way.
    Love that Madison is late in the year so plenty of time to focus on shorter term goals and improve step wise while trying not to think too much about the race.

    So far my year's looked like this:

    NovOS:
    + Much stronger on bike. Blowing away my former run times. Lots of consistency.
    - Weight continues to hover in upper 160's. Definitely more trim than before but haven't shed the pounds.

    Road to Florida 70.3 (April 12th):
    + Building up longer runs and rides. 1st RR went well but on the trainer. Set PR in 13.1 race last weekend.
    - Weather has made it tough to get outside but really need to get comfortable again there, especially in aero. Lots of travel and hacking the weeks so hasn't been as consistent. Trying to get back in a groove for final 4 weeks.

    Road to Challenge AC (June 28th):
    Will repeat the HIM plan. With emphasis on riding outside, aero, and adjusting for any learnings from Florida.
    Come July ... it's IMWI GO TIME.
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    MattAaronsonMattAaronson
    Honestly I'm not even thinking about IMWI until I start extending my weekend rides in late April. Even then it's going to be half-iron style, working on endurance but no 5-hour rides until after Memorial Day I suspect. The shit doesn't get real for me until the July 4 weekend, honestly.
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    Scott GiljumScott Giljum
    I am with you all on this, in that if I start to geek over IMWI now, I will be twisted up like a pretzel when the day actually arrives. I have been plugging away but still haven't even started to wrap my head around the long rides, etc that are coming. I prefer to focus on today and just trust the process. It has worked the last couple of years, why not this time, right!
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    Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    I am with you guys. I am not thinking about IMWI at all. Right now I am 100% focused on St. George. After St. George I am probably going to jump into the Get Faster plan for a Half Marathon in June where I want to try and qualify for the New York Marathon. I will also use the GF plan to find some more watts on my bike. IMWI gets real for me Mid-June.
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    Lindsay BlumensheinLindsay Blumenshein
    Aside from every once in a while thinking "holy sh*t, I'm going to do an Ironman!!" or "oh man, this 5 mile run is hard, how the heck am I going to do an Ironman?" I haven't really been obsessing or focusing on the race too much, and I can certainly thank EN for that. It really has just been a fun journey so far to train for other races a long the way and feel myself getting faster and stronger. I have a HIM mid June, I'll start focusing on that in a couple weeks and then will start to focus on IMWI come end of June.
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    Coach RichCoach Rich

    First bike path ride today, flat and locked in the aerobars, on the P3 on foreva. 

    Actually felt pretty good, with good power and no hip or back pain. 2yrs ago I had a spectacular motorcycle crash, with a compression fracture of my L1 vertebra and some funkiness performed on my hip. I've got some strange tightness and muscle imbalance stuff with my left hip and ass cheek and I was concerned this ride would really highlight some problems, but I felt pretty good once I warmed up. Actually dropped the aerobars down a spacer at half way and felt great coming back up the path from Long Beach. Turned 56mi at 4:55 IM bike split pace. 

    Regarding when to get serious about IMWI: when I last raced it, back in 2011, I put on my IM-geek pointy helmet after my Tour of California camp in mid-May. So my head was in that IM training space for a bit over 4mo. This was too long and I was pretty fried, mentally, by early August. 

    ^This^ is the reason why pretty much no EN athlete is in their IM plan for more than 12wks. I believe the "It's ON Day" for IMWI'15 is June 22, when you all load up the IM plan. You absolutely do NOT need or want your head to be in that IM training space until that date. Until then, train like a short course to HIM athlete. Really no reason to ride longer than 3hrs and would be much better for you, mentally, get-faster-ly, and SAU-ley, to crush yourself for 3hrs, done by 10a. 

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