Can we talk about how to build a proper base.

Your description reads like my long term plans. I don't think you're off at all. A good base and confidence in your abilities will make for a much more pleasant IM race, I think--I hope.

I much prefer racing within my abilities than suffering through a distance just so I can say I've completed it. I do 95% of my training long and slow and build up volume following the 10% rule (for running). The other 5% is either hill rides or sprint tris. The amazing thing about training mostly long and slow is that my speed has also increased, without any speed work. (Yes, I was told this would happen last year but didn't really believe it.)

I'm also run-challenged. I started training last year, did a couple of sprints and one Oly, then mostly running races this summer because I realized what my weakness was. Now for the off season, I focus on increasing my running volume (4-5 times/week), hope to maintain biking through the winter, and swim mostly for recovery.

Can't speak to swim training. I hate intervals, so all I do is long and slow too but the consensus here on BT is that you need to do intervals (assuming your technique is good or in addition to form drills).

One last note: if you don't have weight issues than you could probably up your volume a bit faster and be ready in 2011 or 2012. 2013 seems like such a long time out.

I have weight issues  LOL But I'm not stressing about it. It will come off if I continue to be dilligent about food and exercise. (I'm guessing I may be ready '11...)

 I guess my question is what is long and slow? like a 60-90 min run instead of 30.

And I'm with the above poster - I don't want to suffer through ANY distance. I want to be strong at each distance.

I come from a running background and have been running regularly for over a year and a half.  I had done some swimming for the last few years.  This May I got my old (1976) racing bike fixed up and started riding as well.  In June I decided to do an Oly in mid August.  I picked up a book and started in on a 20 week program starting at the 10th week.  I found that my running got worse even though I was improving on the bike and swim.  Since the race, I've been keeping up a consistent training program and my running has [finally] started to improve.  I think the reason is I now have the base that I probably would have gotten if I had used the full 20 week training program.

 Keep up a consistent program and you will develope the base you need. 

I did fairly well w/base building, then slacked off for a whole year and now starting again, so don't discount my answer based on my current logs, LOL.

-- Hit all 3 disciplines as regularly as possible vs. bouncing around and overconcentrating on one thing at the expense of the others.  (Not to be confused w/doing a swim focused plan or something like that where you're just putting extra time to a particular discipline, but not shortchanging anything else.  Or the occasional week where the pool is closed, things like that.)

-- LT testing to determine your HR zones so you can do zone training - I've found consistent Z2 training to be VERY beneficial to both my endurance and speed.

-- Gradual increases in volume each week vs. big jumps.

-- Taking a recovery week every 6-ish weeks where you back off the volume & intensity to give your body a break.

My take on base building and long and slow is this.

The aim is to develop the aerobic system and prepare the body for the more intense efforts later in the season.  To do this you need to go long and slow, where slow = zone 1 and 2 or at pace where you can still talk comfortably and long = longer than you would go for a faster pace s/b/r but not so long that you can't train again the next day.

Read Training For Endurance by Dr. Philip Maffetone.

I just want to say that there is a little "suffering" ( I would call it struggling) in the beginning when you are building endurance. To have more endurance you have to continually push yourself. Speed gains will be a by product of your endurance build up but how much speed is contingent on how hard you push at the shorter stuff.

Also, you base will change so there is a certain level of pushing that you will always be doing. The key is to just remain consistent. If you slack it is that much harder and you may lose some of your hard earned gains.

Lastly, not every work out has to be long and slow. Since you are doing triathlon maybe aim for 1 long run, 1 long bike, 1 long swim and then fill in the blanks with shorter (but faster) and medium lengths.

I think you are on the right track.  I myself, am a swimmer and a very bad runner.  I did 1 sprint and two oly distances this year.  Next year I want to upgrade to the ability to finish a half IM but my only limitation is the run.  Therefore, I have scheduled a half mary and a full mary this winter.  These give me goals to work toward that will contribute to the end result.  Currently my goals are not for a steller time but just to prove to myself that I can do the distance.  Then I will work on my times.

E

That's exactly what I did. Sucky run. so I have a half mary scheduled for Feburary to which I start training next month. My goal is to keep that 15 mpw volume up and actually have it as 20-25mpw through the training season.

Thus allowing me to be  ready for a half marathon is Nov of '09. Then I want to bump up the volume and maintain a 28-35mpw range. All the while gradually increasing bike mileage to work up to a long ride of 40-45m at a time.

Here's how you build base:

You run a lot.

That's it.

There's no one right or wrong way to do it.  Whatever works for you is what's right.  It doesn't all have to be slow, either.  Changing intensity is a good thing, just do it within reason.

How long should you go depends on your current goals.  I find long runs of 15-18 miles to be ideal for me, regardless of race distance.  I run at whatever I feel comfortable doing that day; if that's a minute slower than yesterday, so what?

Base building is what you do 99% of the time.  The last 2-3 months leading up to that "A" race are not.  That's specific training to maximize ability.  Other than that, everything else is a lead-up to that point.

So confused.....

I want to get faster - so do I need to go slower???  I can't say that I've done any zone 1 or 2 training in the past couple of months.  Everything is zone 3 or higher.  But to the OP's point, now that it is time to focus on base training again, how much of a split should there be between slower and longer, faster and shorter, and somewhere in between?

Confused minds want (need) to know.

The reason to go slower is to allow for more volume.

If you go out really hard all the time, you're not going to be able to put in the same amount of mileage as someone who does more easy running.  Volume will, over time, trump intensity.

That's not to say intensity doesn't have its place; it does.  But that place is not week in and week out.

Any specific reason why you felt they did not work for you?

The only difference between the low HR crowd and the RPE crowd is the measurement used in the quantification of effort.  The basic underlying training methods are still the same.