Help me develop HIM training schedule

No..

Swim, swim and swim some more.   Like 5 days a week.  Run 3 days, bike 3 days.  You will be tired

As for placing, Check out the O Side results.   For example, almost all of the top 10 M40-44s have sub 30 minute swims, slowest in the top 20 is about 35.  And the bikes run about 2:30-2:40.  That is very fast for what is a fairly difficult course

Being able to run fast won't do much good if the swim destroys you

The HIM training plans on here are pretty good. 

You have to shore up your swimming and drownproofing. That means a lot of time in the water.

At the highest level you're preparing for an event that is 5-6 hours (at the performance level you're describing) of intense aerobic exercise.

That is what you have to prepare for: 5-6 hours of intense aerobic effort.

The dastardly thing about this distance is, physiologically, you should go as fast at a 70.3 race as you would in a sprint. When you look at Craig Alexander and Andy Potts' time at a 70.3 race it is almost the identical pace they would go at the Olympic distance.

A big thing for me- and it should be said I am not a coach- is really having some very strong long rides around 80 miles at race tempo- total barn burners, and some strong runs at the 13.1 distance also at or above race pace as a stand-alone.

The endurance comes from long, lower intensity bike rides around 5 hours that provide the aerobic base.

Doing a 70.3 well is possible every weekend if you have a deep fitness base, are very fit and practice good recovery- but it sure is painful.

Work on the swimming- that will help.

I haven't really been able to find any training plans that cater to someone who has the time to train 20-25hrs/week and can specifically focus on swimming/cycling. Any suggestions and/or links?

I suppose in hindsight it is pretty foolishly ambitious to expect to place top 7 in an HIM such as Oceanside. Nevertheless I am still seeking assistance on developing a schedule that will push me to my limits - not just "finishing" the race but knowing that from Nov 1st - race day I pushed myself to the max. 

The landscape may change next year, however, since there are no longer any Kona slots at that race.  It will be interesting to see if that changes the results in any meaningful way given the popularity of Vegas.

I can say that if you are in bryancd's AG, you can automatically assume that at least one guy will beat you

The gold plan on this site allows you to customize your plan. You can make it swim and bike weighted so that there is more of that and still some running.

I'm not understanding why you think this is a troll. Looking at this person's results - http://shar.es/bjUCJ (placed 6th in M20-24AG) - it doesn't seem entirely unfeasible to accomplish what I am trying to do. Is it really impossible to go from a "1" swimmer to a "1.2m in 35min" in 5 months of dedicated training? Then I really just need to add 2mph to my cycling speed, maintain my current run and I'm good to go..

Thanks. Naturally I should ask if you know of any free schedules out that that I can just custom tailor on my own..?

http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/california70.3/?show=results#axzz1IgLXnaFw

Sorry I don't know of any free ones. I think this site is very helpfull and what I have seen so far the training plans are good and tailored to your ability.

Yes, it's impossible for you.  You posted earlier this month that you were a poor swimmer:

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=270567&start=1

If you can't even swim .9 miles in 35 minutes right now, I can't see how you will be able to swim an extra third of that distance in that same amount of time.

Another thing is that you are not just "swimming", not just "biking", not "running": you are swimming, THEN biking, THEN running.  If you have a bad swim, it will wreak havoc on your bike AND your run.

And don't think you can just crank out the hours to get faster for the race.  Your body needs TIME to adapt.  Don't give it that time, and you'll get injured.  Then you'll be REALLY sorry.

Assuming you're not a troll, I think you're being pretty unrealistic in your goals.  Why not just get a swim coach, spend lots of time swimming like others have suggested, and just set a goal of finishing the race?  You'll get a better idea of your potential goals after a few months of training, and you'll enjoy the race more. 

Perhaps you should have rephrased your goal as finishing in the middle of your AG, instead of top 7.

When you say top 7...most people think top 10%.

For what it's worth, I don't think you're a troll anymore, but the thought crossed my mind.  Swimming is a different animal than biking and running entirely.  It sounds like you're a good runner and a decent biker, although there is a huge difference in going 18mph over 26 miles and going 20mph over 50, especially sandwiched between a swim and a run.

Your swim will take some serious work.  Someone who can run 9 miles at a 7:00 pace is getting wiped out after a 150m swim because of serious stroke issues, not because of fitness and five months probably just isn't long enough when it comes to learning to swim. I think with the time and effort you can probably complete the HIM and have a good day, but placing tops in your AG may be over reaching a bit.

Get the Triathlete's Training Bible from the library... thats about the closest you'll get to free for that kind of plan. You'll have most of the tools you'll need... but all in generalities, and nothing specifically taylored to you. If you think you can write your own plan, give it a shot.

If I were looking at that kind of training volume, I'd hire a coach, or at least have a seasoned pro write my plan. Too much risk for injury, in my opinion.

With your swimming, you REALLY need to hire a coach, or find someone who is willing to help you.

As someone who has done only one tri (so far...am hooked) and it being a HIM coming from a great cycling background and good swim basics, I can understand your interest but your goals of top 10 is really pushing it. As most mentioned this is a 5-6 hr race for most MOP particiapnts (depending on course). You have a good run but go do your 26miles at 18mph and see if you can still run 9miles at 7min pace. Now add in a swim before that which you admitedly suck at and what you get is definetly not a top ten.

For a plan I would swim 4-5x's/week, bike 4, and really just try to maintain your run so no more than 3x's/week. Your focus would be swimming and riding a  lot! Swim is all technique based. So a coach is ideal but many have done it by picking up books and watching youtube videos for ideas. Cycling is all about riding and proper fit that gives you maximum aero benefit without losing power. This is often an inverse relationship and everyone needs to find thier own sweet spot for the two. As you go more aero you may compromise power and vice-versa. Being that your longest ride is 26miles you need to start getting in much longer ridesof 50-100miles (depends on who you ask). For me anything in 1-2 hr range was some form of intervals (weekdays) and 1 long ride on weekends.

And don't forget to do your bricks! best of luck and let us know how it goes

Thanks everyone for the reality check. 

What are bricks?

I think the training plans on this site are great.  If you can swing the gold membership, it's worth it, but there are other plans too.  Once you download you can customize (you'll need at least the bronze membership I think).  But you really can't beat the price of a Gold membership, compared to hiring a coach for instance.

Here's what I would suggest:

1.   First, private swimming lessons with a coach.  Prefereably one into triathlon, but if not them emphasize your need for learning the freestyle.

2.   Next, find a master's swimming group.  Go as often as you can.  This might add 3-5 hours a week.

3.   Ride your bike.    Ride it whereever you can, find a local cycling club to join club rides, etc.  

You said you have 20 weeks to train.   Looks for a 12-16 week plan that you can start once the swimming is under control.

If you can swim adequately, you will get the most benefit from the biking as it takes about 50% of the half iron distance time.

To look at other results, do a web search for:  Oceanside 70.3 results

That formula works for most races ("race name" and results). 

If you're not familiar with bricks, and only assume backstroke isn't the best (it's not), that tells me you're a newbie in general.  Please read a bunch of race reports here on BT, read the forums, watch videos on YouTube, read other people's training logs.  Pick up the Triathlete's Training Bible as suggested or any other triathlon book you can find.   There's a lot of info out there.    You might even consider adding the coaching add-on membership here on BT, so you can ask questions and get help with your schedule in a personal way.

Good luck!

Priority #1: Get a swim coach or swim lessons ASAP. It sounds like breathing is the main thing holding you back in swimming, if you're able to swim that much farther/faster with a snorkel. Proper breathing is teachable, and learnable, but hard to teach yourself!  You MUST be able to breathe comfortably, without having to think much about it, before you'll be safe in open water.

#2 Swim as much as possible, if possible with a master's program that has different ability groups and a coach. Swimming is low-impact; the kind of technique work you need most won't wear you out for other training; you have lots of time to train, so you can afford to swim 4-5 days a week. Once you can breathe comfortably in the pool, try to get in some regular (supervised) practice in open water if at all possible. (Local tri club? Kayak escort? Beach with lots of lifeguards?)

#3 Choose a solid plan (I think the one on BT is good and plan to follow it next spring) and follow it. You could replace the swim sessions with whatever your swim coach recommends, or work up to being able to do the swim workouts, and add some addditional swim sessions with a master's program. Again, swimming's low-impact and should aid recovery from run and bike, so addding extra shouldn't be a problem.

#4 Stop worrying about how you'll place. Just aim to do your best, most consistent training in all the events, build your knowledge and skill at stuff like nutrition, hydration, and transitions, do your best effort on race day, stay focused on your own race, and let the chips fall where they may. You can't control who shows up in your AG, or what they're going to do. You can only do your own best effort.

Great post. Thanks.