General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Am I ready for an Oly? Rss Feed  
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2007-07-23 1:29 PM

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Subject: Am I ready for an Oly?
I've been planning on doing 3 sprints this summer, but recently I've gotten an itch to do an Oly as I've added more weekly distance to my routine. It would be occuring in 4 weeks, so I do have some additional time to train. Here is what my training has been like this summer... I'm interested in how feasible it is that I could compete in an Oly, and what changes (if any) you'd recommend for the final 4 weeks before the event:

From Mar - mid June, my typical week was:
Bike: 1 ride of 12-15 miles, and one brick of 13 miles followed by 2 mile run
Swim: 1 swim of 1,000m with nice pace, and one swim of 800m with intervals and high intensity
Run: 1 run of approx. 3-4 miles, along with the Brick listed above

BUT.. I stepped up my seriousness in mid June and that is why I think I could sneak in my first ever Oly this year. For the past 5 weeks, my typical week is:

Bike: 1 ride of 30-40 miles, and one brick of 15-20 miles followed by very short run (1 mile)
Swim: 1 swim of 1600m. If I have time for a 2nd, it is usually another 1600m swim.
Run: 1 40 minute fartlek run, and 1 nice and easy 35-45 minute run

Seems to me I need more running mileage... but what do you old pros think?? Goal always is to not only finishing but to sneak into the midpack.



Edited by Hazelmn 2007-07-23 1:33 PM


2007-07-23 1:37 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
Maybe not ready for an Olympic, but maybe ready to begin training for an Olympic.
2007-07-23 1:38 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
i am no pro but i think you are ready. as long as you are confortable open water swimming i say go for it. when you make it the run part the adreline of the crowd will carry you a little bit and worse case scenario, just walk for a minute and run for minute until you reach the finish line
2007-07-23 2:06 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
My first was a oly. With what you have been doing the last 5 weeks, you should not have any problems.
2007-07-23 2:15 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?

The swim might be pretty tough.  An Oly swim is 1500m (~1640 yards,) and so longer than any of your training swims.  I just did my first Oly and even though in training I have been swimming between 2000 and 3000 meters in each workout, the swim still felt pretty long.

I think you could finish an Oly, but wouldn't count on getting into the MOP (but that is also dependent on the race and who else shows up for it). 

2007-07-23 2:18 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Sneaky Slow
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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?

I'd take a look at some of the training plans on the site and compare that to what you do weekly.  That might give you an idea of where you are.

IMHO, I agree with Bear.  Especially if your goal is to finish in the middle of the pack, which really ought not to be your goal for your first Olympic. 



2007-07-23 2:30 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?

Without knowing your paces for the yardage you describe, I have no opinion whatsoever about your placement in the pack.  If you want to do the Olympic for giggles, then sure, go for it!  Unless there are problems with the terrain (first open water swim, or more hills than you are accustomed to), you will likely finish.  However, if you want to perform closer to your full potential you do need to ramp up the volume in all 3 disciplines.

Why not start using the training log here to track your sessions?  That way if you have specific questions later, people like the bear can go and read them before making a reply.  Good luck!

2007-07-23 2:45 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
I really did not read your whole question or look at your logs but here is what I think.  A oly is really not that much longer than a sprint depending on the length of your sprints.  I have done 3 sprint and 1 olympic and actually a found the oly the most enjoyable since I was not  killing myself for the whole race.  It really depends on your times for the sprint and how comfortable you can complete them.  I did my longest sprint (800yds, 16 mile, 5K) in 1:26 and my oly (1500m, 26mile and 10K) in 2:40 so the distances really werent' that much longer.
2007-07-23 2:59 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?

 

Not knowing your run background, I would say that your run volume is low to be ready for the Oly distance. I'm definitely not an old pro, but I have finished two Oly tris and two Oly-length Du's, all with less than stellar performance (read very BOP) on the final run leg.  Here is the relevant advice I have received (and am currently employing) from one of the coaching types in my local club:

"To help your triathlon running you need to be able to do two things, know you can
run the distance, and know you can perform for your anticipated race
duration...they are two different things.

To help with the run distance, I would slowly ramp your running up to
the point that you can run at an easy pace for about 1.25 - 1.5 the
distance you are planning on running during the race.  So for an olympic you
should be able to get to the point where you can run for 8 - 11 miles (or a
comparable time if you are trail running or something).  To get used to the
 performance distance, I would use the bike to acclimate your body to
the duration of the event....so if you think your race time is going to be
 3 - 3.5 hours, go out for a few rides of 3-4.5 hours in length, and you
can also toss in some short run bricks once in a while where you go for a 2
- 2.5 hour bike and a 15-30 minute run right after.  I observe that these
 kinds of workouts are pretty sticky, physiologically speaking, and you
only need to do them once or twice a month to see the benefits...for example
you could alternate a long run and a long bike every week.  These would
probably help your running strength at the end of a race."

Your mileage (so to speak ) may vary.

2007-07-23 6:08 PM
in reply to: #897338

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
I'd say do more swimming (in my beginner olympic training, I usually am supposed to do between 2000-3300 yard swims)...really that depends on how comfortable you are on the swim...

Your bike looks great, you wont have any problem with that...

You might want to ramp your run up...but really, you can always walk parts of the run at that point...

It does seem like you are ready for the OLympic...just do it!!
2007-07-23 6:52 PM
in reply to: #897574

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Subject: RE: Am I ready for an Oly?
ScottoNM - 2007-07-23 3:59 PM

Not knowing your run background, I would say that your run volume is low to be ready for the Oly distance. I'm definitely not an old pro, but I have finished two Oly tri's and two Oly-length Du's, all with less than stellar performance (read very BOP) on the final run leg.  Here is the relevant advice I have received (and am currently employing) from one of the coaching types in my local club:

"To help your triathlon running you need to be able to do two things, know you can
run the distance, and know you can perform for your anticipated race
duration...they are two different things.

To help with the run distance, I would slowly ramp your running up to
the point that you can run at an easy pace for about 1.25 - 1.5 the
distance you are planning on running during the race.  So for an Olympic you
should be able to get to the point where you can run for 8 - 11 miles (or a
comparable time if you are trail running or something).  To get used to the
 performance distance, I would use the bike to acclimate your body to
the duration of the event....so if you think your race time is going to be
 3 - 3.5 hours, go out for a few rides of 3-4.5 hours in length, and you
can also toss in some short run bricks once in a while where you go for a 2
- 2.5 hour bike and a 15-30 minute run right after.  I observe that these
 kinds of workouts are pretty sticky, physiologically speaking, and you
only need to do them once or twice a month to see the benefits...for example
you could alternate a long run and a long bike every week.  These would
probably help your running strength at the end of a race."

Your mileage (so to speak ) may vary.

Well said ScottNM!  X2.

My first two Oly's I was way under-trained for the run and had issues on both.  I've since done a HIM and a Long Course (1.5xOly) tri following training principles Scott mentioned above for these distance events. IMHO you need to become a better runner to finish MOP.  BOP due to the run hurts!

You can do it though if you don't kill yourself on the bike.  In the next 4 weeks you should do an Oly run focused mini-training plan.  That's one good build cycle with a active recovery/taper week leading into the race. Get your long run (Z1/2 or "easy" ) up,  using your 45 min easy run duration & 10% rule, you can be doing ~60 minutes in the next 3 weeks no problem.  Don't worry about building speed right now, focus on building your run stamina, pace (aka speed) will come over time. 

So what are your long term goals?  How do you track your training?  Do you know about HR training?



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