Beginner 1/2 Ironman Plan Group (Page 8)

Dear all,

I need some advise....... i hope you can help me....?

My goal is the HIM Antwerp 70.3 on 24 july 2011.

I start my HIM plan on 07-03-2011. Before the HIM i wil do some other races (one or two OLY, and in june a 1/3 triathlon).

My question is about planning races before the HIM.... in my case the 1/3 is going to fall in a rest week (that's week no: 5 of the schema).... so 5 week before raceday.

What your advice......is it better to plan antoher race which is not in a rest week, or should i do the race, and for the rest stick to the schema/plan for the rest week. 

Thanks in advance.

Maaikel

Hey all,

Well, week 4 now in the books, and some major lessons learned!

First thing I've discovered is that bonking is not just for single event folks!  Coming off Tuesday's bike and swim (mod from Monday due to funky week), I was so fatigued that trying to swim or run was just not in the cards.  However, in resting that day, I was able to recharge more than enough to finish Thursday's run in decent shape and with no aches or pains (not common for me in longer runs).  Bottom line, if the body says no, it probably has good reason for saying so.  Second key lesson is that my endurance amongst dual events at lengths greater than sprint/oly times/distances needs work; that is, I can swim for an hour, but not immediately after biking for two.  Just something to keep my eyes on in the coming weeks.

In any case, the long run Thursday was my last for the week due to work commitments a quick cross-country drive to my next home!  Week 5 looks recovery-ish (none-to-soon...), but as I've got no bike or pool access here I'll have to rely on the kicks for my workouts.  I do my best not to look too far ahead in the training so as not to skew my focus on the tasks at hand, so seeing the schedule for this week was a pleasant surprise.  I've also got a partner to share in the fun this week, so that ought to help as well!

In other news, being that New York does in fact experience cooler weather (despite the last few days), I've got my indoor trainer ready to pick up as soon as I get back, so that pretty much sets me up to continue non-stop in preparation for Bold Eagle.  For those out there just getting started with our merry band, welcome, and for those grizzled vets, keep the power on!  Until next week, take care.

mG

thanks!  Very good advice.  Looking for a 2011 calendar next so I can start making a plan!

Hey all,

Just wanted to give a shout out to this plan and all of you embarking on it for upcoming HIM. I just finished my first half on Saturday. Beautiful day, course, and race. Slow as molasses (I suck at running) but I finished. I stuck to the plan for the most part - but changed a few things:

1. Did more biking then plan suggested - rode to distance and over-distance >10% more multiple times in the peak weeks. This was VERY helpful come race day as the 56 seemed way easier.

2. Did not swim as much - swim is my strongest so I slacked on it in deference to running and biking more. I did pick it back up the last 2 months and still ended up with PR on the swim.

3. Running - I wish I had done a lot more - and at least to 13 or more a couple times. My longest run was 10.5 miles. I was mostly able to hold my run/walk ratio the whole course, cept on hills, but by mile 8 I was starting to fade. I finished and within my time goal but it was not as fun as it should have been!

Oh and make sure you practice your nutrition on the bike and bike/run bricks. I had zero problems on race day after diligently watching nutrition on the peak training rides.

I'll be picking up the beg 1/2 plan with some tweaks again come December in prep for Cali 70.3.

Good luck, trust the plan, do it, go man go!

kiri

Kiri brings up some good points.  As I was looking at this plan I noticed that it does not appear to ever have you Bike or Run the entire distance.  I think the longest Bike is 2.5 hours but I only avg about 16 MPH (flat course) so I would not cover the 56 miles in that time. 

Has anyone else who used this plan found this to be a problem, and should I modify it to increase volume to cover the distances I will be expected to cover in my HIM?


I have decided to follow the 7-10 Hour Maintenance Plan now until late February, modified to remove swimming and substituted the swimming portions from the 4-6 hour maintenance plan.  The volume of swimming in the longer plan just did not appeal to me and with the 1/2 Plan (starting in Feb) I figured I would have plenty of swim training going into my event.

Either way I just loaded this into my planned workouts and am looking forward to the challenge.  The 1/2 seems so far away but it will sneak up on me for sure.  I too am wondering if I am biting off more than I can manage, but feel like if I train right I will have no problems.  I just want to make sure it stays fun.

It's fine to race during a rest week. If it is at the beginning of the rest week, you won't be tapered at all for the race, so that may affect your performance. That's OK as it's only a practice race anyway, and the you can enjoy your rest week after the race. If it's at the end of the rest week, you will be a bit tapered and may rest better, but will have to take a day or two of lower volume to recover most likely.

You are right - if you train right you will have NO problem! It's up to you if you want to modify the plan. It is a beginner plan, and it will get you to the finish line, but if you feel the volume is too high or too low for a particular sport, based on your experience level, pace, or time available, you can adjust accordingly.

I am a total beginner to TRI, but I am looking forward to the challenge!!!

Thanks for the info!  Cali will be my first!!

CA 70.3 ROCKS. It's not easy, but it is amazing!

I have a lot of specific advice on that race--I wrote it up for a friend--let me see if I can find it.

Well, my own training has been derailed with a nasty (and as of yet unidentified) tropical illness--bloodwork shows an acute infection (as do my temperatures and other symptoms) ...

Been down for six days now. We'll see, as I recover (it's been very slow), whether I can EASE back into training and get up to speed for Phuket 70.3 in December.

I know I can slog through a half, but it's a question of whether I want to spend all that time, money, and extended recovery time to do so. We'll just have to see how things go in the near future.

That's the spirit! Have you singed up for a race yet?

Feel better soon, girlfriend!

I need a point in the right direction. I have always liked to swim, bike, and run so you would think that being a triathlete would be a natural progression. I have never signed up for a race and lately have been doing about 3 miles of running and 6 miles of biking as well as at least 1000 yards of swimming. My question is what would be a good plan to put all of these together. I kinda feel like I could do a lot more training than that and I really want to. On a side note, I have done more mountain biking than anything, as well as more of interval type running. What distance do you recommend I start running and what pace? and what about swimming? I dont think im too bad at any of them.

Maybe you got sick from that yucky spider on your face!    Feel better

Ha ha ha, thanks! Nah, that was my pet tarantula Rosie ...

Anyhow, for you and Kiri, this is what I wrote a friend regarding Oceanside 70.3:

The swim is deceptive. It's COLD and you do not get a chance to get used to the water or warm up. The more you can get your body used to getting into cold water and going, the better.

And on that short loop that's outside the harbor, you may get major swells. (Or not. But better to be prepared for a moving sea).

Here are some tips for Oceanside--I'll add more if I think of them!

- wear SOCKS on your hands while waiting in line for the swim and bring OLD SHOES to wear covering your feet. You can discard the items on the boat ramp before you go in. You will be grateful for this tip above all others.
- stay on the OUTSIDE during the swim. If you're not Front of Pack, no matter how fast you are, you will be fighting for space.
- step ONLY on the RED CARPET when you exit the swim. Do NOT step on any exposed part of the boat ramp.
- go MUCH slower than you think you need to on the first half of the bike. If you get into the hills and THEN feel like hammering, go nuts. Besides, there's always 13.1 left if you have lots of energy remaining
- If they have the sand part of the run this year, it may add up to a full mile of running on sand. You may want to occasionally take a short part of a run on sand to build up the ankle stability and get used to the feeling.

Thanks for the Oceanside tips. I sure hope they do not have the mile run on the sand. I'm already a bad enough runner!

Wow, thanks for the advice.

Welcome to BT!! I would suggest you find a Sprint distance triathlon in the the spring. If you can swim 1000 yards, run 3 miles, and bike 6 you are more than able to do a sprint triathlon! Check out the 16 week Plan Group HERE or the 13 Week Plan Group HERE.
Once you have completed your first triathlon, you can do some more planning and perhaps pick an Olympic distance or HIM distance race to train for.

Ooo, that's perfect! Thank you. Off to train

Hey folks!  I haven't posted in a while since I wasn't sure if my HIM was/is going to happen.
After having heel pain for weeks I went in for a MRI and was diagnosed with a stress fracture.  This lead to a boot and crutches and no biking/running.  I had already stopped running.

Wednesday was my first post injury run, only 2 miles and though it felt great I was bummed I was so gassed at the end.  Somebody tell me the fitness is going to come back FAST!!!

I rode the course last Sunday and fell in love!  I get to run a whopping 3 miles today and hoping the swelling/pain stays at bay.

HIM is 4 weeks away so I really need to train these next 2 weeks.

Wow, that stinks!! I had a stress fracture one year leading up to an IM, but I was able to bike so I ended up with a NICE PR from all the biking!
Your fitness WILL come back fast, but be careful!

Oh, bummer. I hope it all comes together for you. How long did you end up having off?

Thanks gals.  I had stopped running before the dx, took off 3 weeks total I think and 2 weeks off the bike (you can see my logs).  Had my second run today only 3 miles but it felt good.  Am hoping that means the heel is going to hold up at least through November 7.

I just found this site after I completed my first HIM in Branson.  I used a full distance plan to get ready for it.   I was disappointed with my run in Branson, so signed up for Austin next Sunday.    After I complete that I may look at the plan here.  I found ST first and pretty much just lurked due to the back lash of asking a newbie questions.  It's good to see a forum that I may not be flamed for asking something simple i.e. terminology questions (FTP, TP, etc).