Ironman Texas (Page 36)

Mac1011 - 2010-12-08 10:03 AM How does Chris McCurdy handle lessons, package deal, one at a time, etc.? Does he have a website? How much does he charge?

tjfry - 2010-12-08 10:13 AM


Almost recovered from IMCOZ. As soon as the numbness goes away in my 2 toes then it's time to get back into gear. Surprisingly, I'm looking forward to it already. I thought I would be feeling some burnout. Maybe because it's in my backyard.

I think most people around my area are ramping up on January 1st. 

evillarroel - 2010-12-08 1:24 PM

How'd you do in Cozy? Do you recommend the race?

tjfry - 2010-12-10 11:41 AM

I did ok, not great. Had some cramping issues and it was 94 degrees that day. But the race itself was amazing. Greatest IM swim in the world. Nice bike. Flat but very pretty on the east side. Run was through town along the coast. Best part was the crowds though. It was awsome. There was one section that the crowds were so thick they filled the street on the run and parted for you Tour de France style. insane. Seriously, if it wasn't for the allure of Kona, I would say that Cozumel is a better/morefun race. Absolutely recommend.

TriPatrick - 2010-12-09 11:05 AM

I will start in January for real.  Right now I am still undecided on plans, but  I am looking at losely following Iron fit competitive by moving days around and making it fit to my life.  I guess I need to find a plan and be happy.   

se7930 - 2010-12-16 7:41 AM Just finished putting the final touches on my training plan. I took the Be Iron Fit competitive plan as a base model for a training plan then reworked it based on my weaknesses. Found a swim program I like so I am using that for my swim workouts. The BIF plan was a 30 week plan but I have been maintaining my base this winter so I just picked it up at week 11 and started working from there. Based on my changes to the plan; week one is about 14 hours compared to 12 hours if I stuck directly to the plan and week 17 on my plan maxes out at 22 hours. I have 4 - 6+ hour rides, a couple of 20 mile runs, and a HIM worked into the plan about 8 weeks out.

Im geeked! Lets get this thing rolling already!

evillarroel - 2010-12-17 9:06 AM

I agree with GMAN 100%, that plan is way too ambitious for an AG'er, two twenty mile runs are too much stress and (he's right) goes beyond 2.5hrs (which makes it innefective). I'm assuming that each 6hr ride goes beyond the century, which is also excessive.
You're risking burnout, overtraining and injury. Better if you build a good aerobic base keeping your HR below 140BPM AT ALL TIMES and then as the race approaches you start some anaerobic training.
A good read is "the big book of endurance training and racing" by Phil Maffetone. It will give you insights on how to read and test your body during the different phases of the training. Also, I found very useful to watch the video "4 keys to long course triathlon" by the Endurance Nation people. It gives you pointers for the race; in Ironman, execution trumps fitness 10 to 1. As an example, I did Ironman Arizona last year in 12:14 and my longest week EVER was right below 9 hours only because my execution was flawless.
Also, I read your Austin 70.3 RR and it seems that you're experiencing GI distress in long distance triathlons. I suggest you start training with the same nutrition that you plan to race with. It's just trial and error until you nail the right ammount of calories and the right food/drinks.
By no means I want to sound discouraging or "holier than thou", it is just what has worked for me and many others.

Good luck!

EV

spuphal - 2010-12-21 10:07 AM 150 days

Gaarryy - 2010-12-21 10:11 AM



CRAP !!!!
slowly putting down my doughnut, looking up pools to swim in, thinking where I last left my bike and running shoes.

spuphal - 2010-12-21 10:07 AM 150 days

spuphal - 2010-12-22 11:07 AM I'm loving the matching Avatar photos of Erin and x_caliber. Can't think of a race that has a more beautiful backdrop!

GMAN 19030 - 2010-12-17 7:46 AM

Just my observation...
I say this without knowing anything about you.  I looked up your times on Athlinks and it appears you're a MOP kind of guy.

Your plan is too much.  14 hours for a first week is too much.  22 hours for the max week is too much. Four 6 hour rides is too much.  A couple of 20 mile runs is way too much (unless you can run that 20 miles in 2.5 hours - which is beyond your ability).  Spending 3.5 to 4 hours on training runs is just not necessary and potentially foolish.  Too much recovery, too much risk of injury due to overtraining.

Personally, I wouldn't do four 6+ hour rides but that doesn't concern me too much.  The concern is that your plan has you running way too much.  You and I are in the same AG (M40-44) and you're training like a 30 year old professional triathlete.  We're not young professional triathletes.  You're going to be overtraining and risking injury.  You may think that more training is a good thing but that's not always the case.  You certainly have to put in a ton of work but train smart.

Just my $.02.  I'm not a coach, I'm not a super athlete, I just have used several training plans over the last couple of years and have seen everything from Ironguides, BT, Matt Fitzgerald's stuff and Endurance Nation.  I'm certainly not talking down to you but I just don't want to see you hurt yourself. I'd suggest you take a look at some other plans to see what I'm talking about.  I'm very biased to Endurance Nation since I'm on their team but their plans are no-nonsense, quality & interval based plans that deliver.  Their plans are meant to maximize your time.

x_caliber50 - 2010-12-22 12:47 PM

That's too funny. I didn't even notice that.

That's in Galveston right Erin? Were you doing Lonestar?

erin116 - 2010-12-22 2:09 PM That's hysterical, I didn't notice it either! Yep, that was Lonestar this year. I'm guessing that's where you were too?

KSH - 2010-12-22 1:22 PM
Great advice! I would agree with all of it... except the bike rides. 4, 6-hour rides are fine. They are relatively easy to recover from, and it's good to be strong on the bike going into the race. Now, I would do one a month... not 2 in a month or something like that.