Member Question: Half Marathon Before a Half Ironman?

author : Coach AJ

comments : 0

My question is am I playing with fire entering the half marathon this close to my primary goal for this season which is the HIM?

Member Question from RADAR 987

"I am now into my second season with BT and have taken up the challenge of my first HIM.  I'll call myself a large mature participant at 55 years of age and around 205. The race I am entering is July 10 and I am considering entering in a half marathon on fathers day (June 20th) which is something I have ran with my daughters for years now.

If I don't do the half marathon I will likely do the local Olympic distance triathlon that day.  My question is am I playing with fire entering races this close to my primary goal for this season which is the HIM?

So far my training is going well and I am running the half marathon distance once a week anyways, I've really been on the fence of which one I should do if either?"

Answer from Coach AJ
D3 Multisport

Since the two events would be three weeks apart I think you are safe and would not compromise your ability to race well at the half Ironman. In fact, I think doing the triathlon rather than the half marathon is a better idea. By racing the Olympic three weeks in advance you will have the opportunity to test your race morning routine, equipment, race day nutrition and other triathlon specific details. The timing is good since you will have plenty of time to recover and make any adjustments from what you learned at the Olympic distance race.

As for what to do for those three weeks, here is what I suggest. First, recovery from the race is key. The day after the race should be a light swim or bike to get the blood flowing and reduce stiffness. Then take a complete day off, followed by two to three days of easy swimming and biking. During this time you should focus on eating well and getting plenty of sleep. This is also a good time to work in a massage.

Once you are feeling recovered, you will have about two weeks before the big race. During this time your weekday workouts should be short but include intervals at race pace or faster. Your weekly training hours should be reduced by 10 to 15% each week. On the weekend you can still get in a longer effort, but don’t push it. A good half Ironman is based on consistent training over time, not just one weekend.

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date: May 24, 2010