General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Extending a training plan??? Rss Feed  
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2015-01-23 7:00 PM

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Wollongong, New South Wales
Subject: Extending a training plan???
Needing some advice on working with a training plan. I have just bought a book with a 16 week training plan to get me in condition for a half ironman. As I read the workout I got a bit scared but thats another story

My question though, is if my probable event is in October do I just wait for 16 weeks out an start hen and just continue on with normal training till then or do I do the first 8 weeks as thats the base and then repeat it, sort of doesn't make sense. Do I start no an then just keep with the last couple of weeks.

I've done two sprints recently with another in March, so not a lot of experience and none with training to a formal plan.

Thanks

Manno


2015-01-23 7:33 PM
in reply to: manno

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Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
It really depends on your fitness background and goals, but I can see a couple of options here....

If you say you read the workouts and got scared, it sounds like the plan is pretty ambitious/ a big stretch for you. In that case, you could start with a plan for a shorter race (Olympic Distance would make sense), maybe do an Oly as a buildup race, then start the HIM plan when you have a better base.

Another option would be to look at what is scaring you about the workouts. Is it mainly the swim sets? Run distance? Bike distance? Choose your main weakness and really focus on it for the next few months (while maintaining fitness and maybe gradually building volume in the other areas) before starting the HIM plan.

Another idea, if you are comfortable with the early weeks of the HIM plan but feel like it progresses too quickly in volume or intensity, is to do some or all weeks (maybe not the recovery weeks) of the plan twice. This sounds odd, but I have done it with some success a couple of times, mainly with single sport focused plans like "Eight Weeks to a Faster 1500m" (swim). Maybe it's my age (I'm 45) but I often find pre-packaged plans progress too quickly for my body to adapt and performance to improve. Doing the week twice enables that to happen a bit better. I also find it helps develop a better sense of pacing, since you end up doing every workout twice and learn how to control your effort to finish the whole workout at goal pace.
2015-01-23 9:44 PM
in reply to: manno

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Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???

My opinion...

Being a slave to a regimented training plan for a long period of time can be mentally taxing.

Just do something to stay fit and active.  Do some shorter more intense stuff until 16 weeks out and then lock yourself into the 70.3/HIM training plan.

2015-01-23 11:35 PM
in reply to: GMAN 19030

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Wollongong, New South Wales
Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
Thanks for the thoughts.

Not really scared just becomes a bit real when its written down and you are going to commit to it

Think theres food for thought from both of your points.

Cheers

Manno.
2015-01-24 5:18 AM
in reply to: manno

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Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
Originally posted by manno

Needing some advice on working with a training plan. I have just bought a book with a 16 week training plan to get me in condition for a half ironman. As I read the workout I got a bit scared but thats another story

My question though, is if my probable event is in October do I just wait for 16 weeks out an start hen and just continue on with normal training till then or do I do the first 8 weeks as thats the base and then repeat it, sort of doesn't make sense. Do I start no an then just keep with the last couple of weeks.

I've done two sprints recently with another in March, so not a lot of experience and none with training to a formal plan.

Thanks

Manno


Without the specifics of your plan it's hard to tell but consider this and look over your plan again

Often plans are made in "blocks". Within the block there is often a progression of effort sometimes by time or by intensity. So it may for example on the bike have you doing 8' intervals at threshold, next week 9', next week 10....

But often these blocks are broken to extend for say 8 to 10 weeks. That's because they are trying to achieve some specific type of work. So maybe they will work for 8 weeks on VO2, then 8 weeks on threshold, then more tempo-ish type work. It's not always a clear cut, there is often some type of transition from one block to another.

Very often these blocks get more and more specific to race pace as race gets closer. For HIM, more VO2 type work further from the race, temposih work closer.

The reason they are broken into 8 to 10 week blocks is this is when you get maximum adaptation to the block. After 12-13...weeks you may start seeing less benefit. It's time to change the stimulus.

So the danger of taking the first block and doing it twice is you may be getting incremental load and intensity for the 8 weeks, then you drop back to the beginning, and you are doing the same tyoe of work over again, hence not improving as much as you could.

Does this make sense ? But again, this depends on the plan.

One possibility is to look at your weakness and focus on it before the plan starts.
Or build up some more volume in one specific area, such as running or swimming.

The nice thing about a plan that starts 16 weeks before October is it gives you the time to build up to being able to start the plan :-)
2015-01-24 6:15 AM
in reply to: #5086553

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Wollongong, New South Wales
Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
Thanks, the plan is Mr Finks for the HIM. He pretty much makes the point about needing to up the stimuli to get improvement rather than plateau.
As its based on hr zone training, does the increased impact keep going cause as you improve you push harder to get in those zones? Not sure that even made sense to me


2015-01-24 9:00 AM
in reply to: manno

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Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
Originally posted by manno

Thanks, the plan is Mr Finks for the HIM. He pretty much makes the point about needing to up the stimuli to get improvement rather than plateau.
As its based on hr zone training, does the increased impact keep going cause as you improve you push harder to get in those zones? Not sure that even made sense to me


I don't know the detail of Finks, but in general you are trying to increase load. Load has a component of time and intensity. So to achieve the same load you go go easier for longer, or harder for shorter time, or a mix

To stay conceptual, say 1hr at 100% effort may be the same load as 2hr at 70%. But that 1hr effort will cause different types of changes in your body than that 2h effort. But it's the same load. Different intensities do different things.

So over time you do want to increase load, but you also want to change how that load is made up. How the load is made up is what gets more specific to the race you are doing.

A simple example is Jorge's training plan for bikes that you can find here on BT. The load increases week to week, but on top of that the beginning of the plan works VO2, then moves more towards threshold and in a HIM plan would probably move to more tempo work. That is just an example.

I suspect Fink does increase load and the mix of intensities, but I don't know for sure, I have not seen the plan.



2015-01-24 6:11 PM
in reply to: #5086653

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Wollongong, New South Wales
Subject: RE: Extending a training plan???
Thanks for putting that together Marceg. I get what you are saying. Think I know where I am going now. Thanks everyone: :-)
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