winter maintenance

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2008-09-12 7:33 PM

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Subject: winter maintenance
Here it goes.  Winter maintenance question with the intent of my first IM next year.  I saw plans here and just wanted to get some opinions beyond those.  Here is where I am coming from and where I want to go.  I ame from no athletic background 2 years ago.  I have done several sprints, olympic and one HIM since then.  All were average times, solid races, and no physical issues.  I am just not that fast (I am 39 yrs old).  My goal is to do a full IM without walking major portions or at all.  I'd like to complete it under 13 hrs.  I really don't have ambitions beyond that and I know that is hard for some to swallow-but there it is.  What kind of maintenance would you reccomend?  Hours, workouts, specific or nutrition?

2008-09-13 6:46 AM
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Subject: RE: winter maintenance

mikep - 2008-09-12 7:33 PM Here it goes.  Winter maintenance question with the intent of my first IM next year.  I saw plans here and just wanted to get some opinions beyond those.  Here is where I am coming from and where I want to go.  I ame from no athletic background 2 years ago.  I have done several sprints, olympic and one HIM since then.  All were average times, solid races, and no physical issues.  I am just not that fast (I am 39 yrs old).  My goal is to do a full IM without walking major portions or at all.  I'd like to complete it under 13 hrs.  I really don't have ambitions beyond that and I know that is hard for some to swallow-but there it is.  What kind of maintenance would you reccomend?  Hours, workouts, specific or nutrition?

 

I'm not qualified to give advice and your question is hard to answer w/o more specifics such as when you plan to do an IM and what is your current training base but I'll tell you what my winter maintence is.  I will bike as deep into the off-season until it just gets too cold and then I will put my bike up unitl it early spring.  I will maintain or increase my running and will do a marathon and maybe a couple of 1/2 marathon during the cooler winter months.  If I were realy ambitious I'd spend some time on the trainer or exercise bike at the gym so I don't lose too much bike fitness.

~Mike

2008-09-13 8:38 AM
in reply to: #1671524

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Subject: RE: winter maintenance
mikep - 2008-09-12 7:33 PM

Here it goes.  Winter maintenance question with the intent of my first IM next year.  I saw plans here and just wanted to get some opinions beyond those.  Here is where I am coming from and where I want to go.  I ame from no athletic background 2 years ago.  I have done several sprints, olympic and one HIM since then.  All were average times, solid races, and no physical issues.  I am just not that fast (I am 39 yrs old).  My goal is to do a full IM without walking major portions or at all.  I'd like to complete it under 13 hrs.  I really don't have ambitions beyond that and I know that is hard for some to swallow-but there it is.  What kind of maintenance would you reccomend?  Hours, workouts, specific or nutrition?


I signed up for IMOO this year having never done a tri and weighing 220 pounds.

I crashed on the bike, and finished in 13:16 with a 5:01 marathon on a really sore/bruised/road-rashed hip.

I pretty much did 2-3 one-hour trainer rides a week, with a long 2-3 hour trainer ride on the weekend for the bike (all HR zone 2, as I had no bike base at all), swam masters (until I hurt my shoulder) two times a week, and ran 10-17 miles a week, with a long (7-10) mile run on the weekend.

I ended up with a good enough base that my wife getting pregnant and having a 7-week old son on race-day didn't result in a disaster. Basically, 10-hours a week training for me all summer after the described base training in the winter.

FWIW, I didn't do anything faster than about 10min/mile on the run all winter.

For nutrition, I decided to "live off the course" and trained with PowerGels, water, and Gatorade Endurance formula. I had no GI issues, but it may have been due to a slower than expected marathon pace because of the bike crash. My HR was probably zone 1-2 most of the marathon, as it wasn't fatigue, but hip pain that was my limiting factor.

You can do it, just remember to keep it all zone 2 on the bike in the winter and build a good base.
2008-09-13 9:42 AM
in reply to: #1671524

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Subject: RE: winter maintenance
I would like to do the IM around late August.  I just did Timberman in August,  so I am coming off of that training plan and now I'm trying to figure out what I should be doing to maintain until next year's racing season.  I don't want to loose what I have gained over the last 2 years and I don't want to start all over come spring time.  Mostly until my IM plan starts.  I am from Pennsylvania, so my racing season is done until May. 

Edited by mikep 2008-09-13 9:43 AM
2008-09-13 11:00 AM
in reply to: #1671524

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Subject: RE: winter maintenance

I had typed out a response earlier, but apparently it was swallowed by the ether.

Basically, here's what I would suggest heading into an IM next season.  First, you need an off-season; since you say your season is pretty much over now, I would look to take 4-8 weeks off from structured training.  I would look to maintain three runs per week (30') but beyond that, workout if you feel like it and rest if you don't.

After the off-season, I would focus on your primary limiter for 4-6 weeks; again, try to maintain three runs/week but otherwise, the bulk of your training time will be addressing your limiter.  After this training block, you can focus on your next weakest sport for another block before returning to balanced training.

Once you go back to balanced training, the key workouts I would focus on prior to starting your IM plan (ideally these would be completed weekly) would be; 3000+m swim, 3 hour ride, 1.5 hour run.  This should provide a solid level of fitness heading into next season and your IM plan.

In addition, I would try to find a couple of other races before the IM so that your entire focus is not on IM next year (maybe a HIM and a short course race or two).

Good luck with your journey,

Shane

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