Fred D's triathlon training group CLOSED (Page 19)

NOLA 70.3 is next weekend.  

Finishing up my recovery week this weekend.  Will do a swim this afternoon, easy bike ride Saturday, racing my TT Sunday morning...and maybe a short run or swim that afternoon.  Then it'll be back to the grind...my last high volume 3 week block.

Hello group!
I have hit a little rough patch myself with work, at least when it comes to volume A good bit of traveling for the past couple of days and only 4 hours of sleep for each of the past two nights. It is all good stuff though, work is awesome, fun and rewarding, so no worries, just lots of time commitments to get it all done for the next 2.5 weeks.

Traveling a couple of hours this afternoon for an organized century tomorrow - weather is looking awesome for it. Short recovery swim Sunday.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

I would like to hear folks perspective on "preparatory races?" For example, it seems like the default training plan for racing IM distance always has you doing a HIM "x" number of weeks prior to your IM race. Last year I did a HIM 9 weeks before my IM, and it actually seemed counterproductive to my IM focus. Reasons:

1. It took a week to recover, and coupled with a 10 day taper it only left a 6.5 week block of IM-focused pace training, which felt 3 or 4 weeks too short.
2. A, B, and C races (for me anyway) are defined by how I prep for them, not how I race them. I find it darn near impossible to go to a race and treat it like a supported training day, so for me there seems very little to learn by doing a HIM that is translatable to IM. They are such different efforts, fueling strategies, etc. I have much better success with doing "race simulation" on my own.

Now those points made, I AM still doing a HIM this year, but this time 11 weeks before my IM. The difference is that I am in no way thinking about it as a prep race, or an important part of my IM training - I still actually think it will have some negative training impact. I am doing it just because like all of us I like to race, and you cannot discount the positive psychological impact that can have.

So what do you think? do you do "Prep" races? Am I missing an opportunity that would otherwise help my IM training? What are your thoughts on "A, B, and C" races?

This year I am doing the same races I did in 2010 finishing the season with IMFL in November.  The HIM I do is in July about 17 or 18 weeks out so not really the same issues as you have being that close to your IM.  I can recover for a couple of weeks then still have plenty of time for the training cycle leading up to November. 

I hope those that are feeling bad get better soon!]

Good luck to those of you racing this weekend!  Good training to everyone else!

Whew! and I thought you were just being deliberately provocative on a Friday!

Oh - you better run for cover! Just wait until mndymond comes off call....

No experience with IM, but I find that an Oly type event is great to do as a test of fitness within the framework of a training plan for a longer race.

I did an Oly 3 weeks before my HIM last year with good results. 

I also did an Oly 3 weeks before a 3.5 hour  hill climbing cycling race, which was 2 weeks before a 5ish hour cycling road race with good results.

After my HIM, open HMs or marathons...I find that I need additional recovery due to the pounding from the running.

Excellent topic - very timely since I think we will finally sit down and plan some tune-up races. 

For me, I am a nervous swimmer so i really like at least two races to get some of my swim-related jitters out.  Which means maybe I should look at an aquabike and save my run legs for IM.  Dunno, we'll see because another priority is getting up to the IM race site to bike. 

I am looking at a HIM either the June 24th (Welland or Syracuse) weekend or July 8 (Peterborough) - I am doing the same IM as Fred - my first.   I could/would schedule maybe one other more local tri but i need to also look at it in context of the training plan to see what distances and such are in play to make sure to leave key bike weekends alone.

I am not that far over 30 and a HIM two weeks out! wow! hahahaha - i am not that  fit - or confident!

I'd do it if you plan on swimming locally, they are all pool swims.  And so many races I have done lately have been on the edge of legal.  Ones that are never legal!  If you are like me at all and overheat the swimskin would be a way better option when it is on the edge