Training question

I train each event 3 times per week, for an hour at a time (Mondays off). I train the run and bike a little longer on weekends (long, slow workouts).

I will post some more stuff (ideas, samples, etc) later on. Gotta go now.

It really depends on your strenghts, and your goals.
In general, I've read training splits of 50% bike, 30% run, and 20% swim.
That reflects the general amount of time you'll be doing each. You can then adjust by trying to: a) fix your weakness; b) maximize your strength; and/or c) fit your available training time.

For most of us, the goal for the swim is to get through it without being pooped. Unless I grow fins, I'm never going to break 38-42 minutes for a 1.2 mile split. But that's ok, since my goal in an Ironman is to get out of the water and on my bike by 1:30. So I just do 1-2 long swimming sessions per week, and leave well enough alone. Also, wearing a wetsuit in the race makes such a difference - you float higher in the water, so swimming is almost effortless. Just make sure you can do the distance, and you'll be good.

Biking is definitely my strength, and it's where most people spend the most time. For my first IM last year, I biked about 150-200 miles per week: commute to work 3x per week, at 33 mi round trip, plus one long weekend ride. The goal of the bike is to fuel up (eat) for the run, and finish comfortably. For pros, a good bike sets them up for a successful run. (Some try to win it on the bike, but they tend to fade.) For the rest of us, we need to finish it while saving energy for the run. Make sure you do 2-3 full-distance rides in your training, and you'll be good to go.

For the run, my goal was to get in enough to be ready for the distance, but not pound too much. I did 3 weeks of 3x 60 minute runs early in the training, then dropped the runs in favor of biking. I added progressive long runs, maybe 2 per every 3 weekends, starting at 9 miles and building to 15. Anything more than that is just pounding. That was about 2 months out from my race. After that, I cut back to more frequent 3 and 6 mile runs - maybe 3 per week.

Now, these sessions are good for Iron-distance, and you can adjust for your distance, but I felt it was a really good mix of percentages. My legs never felt pounded like they did when I trained for my first marathon, but I felt strong enough to run forever.

One other thing to work on is "bricks", or sessions where you transition from one sport to another. The first time I ran after a long (30 mi) bike ride, I was all jelly-legs. I'm not fast, but I can generally churn out 8:30-9:00 miles. My first mile in that first brick was around 18 minutes! Because I just couldn't get going - I'd run for 100 yards, then walk to "get myself ready", then run, then walk... Amazingly, I got faster each mile, until by mile 4 I was back up to 8:45 pace. The thing about bricks is, they get better after you do a few. Number 2 was ok, and 3+ were easy. (One key is to go easy for the last 5-10 minutes on the bike.) Now, when you do bricks, most experts say not to run more than 60 minutes or so. You get all of the benefit in the first 3-4 miles, and the rest is just pounding. And, with your legs already tired from biking, you're more prone to injury. Triathlete Magazine's "13 weeks to an Ironman" program includes 3 bricks, the longest of which is 1:30 bike and :45 run. Adjust that to your target race distance, and you're good to go.

Now, I did not do any swim-bike bricks before my race, and maybe I should have. The muscles were fine, but I definitely messed up heart rate and eating. For my IM, I was so jazzed up from the swim, and so hungry from 1:30 of exercise, that I just scarfed down an entire PB&J in transition. And then sprinted off with my bike. BAD IDEA!!! I'm just trying to finish, so taking it easy in T1 would be much better in the long run.

One other thing I've hinted at is NUTRITION, and that needs as much (or more!) training as any discipline. As you go longer, fueling becomes more important, and you can't just assume it'll all work. I was fine in all of my training - take a goo shot (any brand except PoewrGel) every half hour or so, take a few bites of PB&J after 3 hours biking, and drink as much as I can. Then in my race, I scarfed an entire sandwich at T1, and my stomach shut down. I ate maybe 4 gels on the bike (and had to force down the last one), and drank maybe 40 ounces. And that's doing 112 miles in 90-degree heat. I knew I needed more, but my stomach just couldn't take it. Needless to say, I started cramping by mile 90 of the bike, and had a really long day. (This after several 100-mile training rides that were super easy). Then during the run, I couldn't eat or drink much at first. I sipped gatorade and water (1-2 ounces each) at each water station, and then had 4-6 ounces of broth at miles 8 and 9. That really helped, and I could drink some more after that, but then I started bloating by mile 20. I finished, but puked up the mile-25 watermelon just after the finish line. Bottom line, I messed up my nutrition, and paid dearly.

So, how do you train your stomach? By doing just that, training it. Obviously, nutrition diminishes in importance as you get shorter, but I'd still do a gel or two even for a sprint - it's amazing how much better I do with an extra 100 calories per half hour. Bottom line, figure out your nutrition needs, and practice them during your training. For example, rather than biking maybe half an hour after a quick breakfast, try starting out without breakfast. Take a few gels with you, and eat one every half hour. Or use powerbars, or liquid nutrition - trust me, you can find a zillion nutrition products, each claiming to be the best. I do well with any type of goo (gu, hammer gel, cliff shot) except PowerGel (I tried one at mile 60 of a bike ride, and almost gagged). Best to know that BEFORE your race.

Also, remember that exercise limits the amount you can digest. There are lots of articles all around, but generally, you can take digest about 300 calories per hour during moderate effort (olympic tri or longer), and less during a sprint. Practice your nutrition, and you'll be way ahead of the game.

Well, that's a long rambling answer to a simple question, but I hope it helps.
Good luck!
-rich

Great response Rich! Congrats on the Ironman!

I am in recovery this week, but next week will resume normal training. My bike time is short right now because I am not used to seat and my left wrist (prev injury) goes numb in about 30mins and still getting used to it, plus doing more running so participate in some running races, so adjust your times as needed.

I basically do each sport 3x per week and 2 weight training sessions. This I "devised" from the Training Bible and another book's program.

M AM swim 30min, followed by weights
T AM run (hard) 30min PM bike (easy) 30min
W AM swim 30min PM bike (hard) 30min
T AM run (easy) 30min PM swim 30min followed by weights
F OFF
S AM long run (60 mins now building to 90)
S AM long bike (45 mins now building to 120)

If my schedule was better, I would do second swim Thur and third swim Sat PM I don't have easy, hard or long for swimming because I am just starting out with formal swim training.

Great advice about nutrition. While training for half marathon, this made a big difference. Different people can handle different things, so you have to try to see what works for you. I also carry a Fuel belt with water for all runs which helps in the FL heat.

Yeah Rich, that was awesome.

Thanks for the Info. RyanB.