Matt Fitzgerald's Level 1 Ironman Plan

I've seen plans with similar volumes and some of my friends who've used them finished their Ironmans admirably. You don't really need to put 20 - 30 hours a week to do well. Sometimes doing too much volume will lead you to feeling more fatigued. Following a plan like the one you linked allows you to you recover well and gain the fitness needed to race well.

I used his "super simple" plan for my first half.
I'm a completer with 'limited' experience.

Assuming the underlying principals of his varied plans are the same, I can tell you this....
Before I clicked the "submit" button on the race registration page...I had done all the mental math you do as a beginner/first timer/completer with a few years of sprints and Olympics under their belt. You know, this math...

OK, the swim....should take me 40 minutes, but let's go with 45 minutes...say an even hour if I have to use the sit-down facilities or have a few minutes of freak out.
Bike....it takes me X hours to ride 50 miles.
Run....I can do 6 miles at my "good pace", but let's use a little more because I'll be coming off the bike....Y hours.
Throw in another 20 minutes for another pit stop or two and some extra slower walking...Z hours...for the last half.
Z being quite a bit more than Y.

45 + X + Y + Z = 8 hours and some change. Whew. I can click submit. I'll finish.

The reality for me was that the dedication to the plan improved my swim time a fair chunk. The ride was much faster with no stop lights/signs or the hills I like to ride. The run....well...a third of the way into the plan I figured out that I wasn't going to be anywhere near my "good" pace after the swim and bike, but I also found I would be able to "run" darn near, if not all, the 13.1 with some planned "walking/slow trotting".

From the get go I knew I was being conservative with my abilities and generous with "bathroom break time" and "freak out time in the water" or "suncreeners provided by the race saved me 5 minutes"....I knew I'd do better than 8 and some change.

What I wasn't expecting was 6 and some change. I credit that 100% to the plan. It was 33 minutes in the water...which is 3 minutes better than I was doing in the pool at the tail end of my training. The bike, I may have overcooked, but I was feeling it and I had done enough training to know I would have plenty in the tank. X was about a half an hour to 40 minutes less. Y was a bit longer, but it was two Y's and no Z.

Again, I'm a completer. If his underlying principal behind the plans is the same...I would think the one you linked being "not free" is probably even better. For me, I felt I finished strong with limited "planned" walking...(and of all 3 running is by far my weakest) .a quarter mile here or there and many of the aid stations. I felt great. Ate White Castle for a late lunch. Drove 5.5 hours home. Ate pizza. Drank a beer. And still was awake at 10:30. 10:31? Probably not.


I may or may not be using his super simple full IM plan. I may or may not be 3 or so weeks into it.

Edited by jhaack39 2017-06-15 11:18 AM

Thank you both for the awesome feedback, I think I have a winner in this plan here!