IronMan UK Bolton 2023 - July 2nd

Do show…

I’ve not gone full Poet and set it day by day but each week will consist of:

3 swims, two built up of shorter sets, one with longer 400/500s - something like end of April, beginning of May this will be an OW swim.

2 sessions on the turbo, intervals of varying difficulty 2x20 etc, quite like the look of Doonhammers over/under session he does but will mix it up. One long ride per week increasing in time each week, longer rides will feature hills.

(Not including the 80 odd km in commuting per week here)

Three run sessions per week, all easy with the aim of not picking up any silly injuries - long runs will be 9-1 looking to hold ~4:50kms plus the walks.

After every three weeks, knock everything back intensity and duration wise then build up again over the next three weeks, repeat until two weeks out where I’d look to get a 3.8km swim on the Friday, final long ride, run over Sat/Sun

Then ease off and tick over for the final two weeks

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Sounds sensible. Might have to keep an eye on your bike sessions ready for some stealing!

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That’s not a million mikes away for what I aim for. Normally try and get some intensity into one of the run sessions as the event gets closer. Hill repeats seem to be safer for me than all out efforts on the flat but as I’m getting older even hills can end in tears/injury so I’ll be playing it safer this year.
Also try when I can to get in a ‘medium long ride’ normally about 2.5 hrs at just under 70.3 effort.
What I’m really intrigued about is whether we have similar strategies for fitting all this in around full time work and kids!:roll_eyes:

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BTW my ‘strategy’ was to marry someone with a far greater capacity for emotional and mental flexibility than me :joy:

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Anti social hours I think :grin:

Yep, that too.

I ended up same position with 5 weeks to go, and decided to push through with 5 big weeks with 2x two-three day mini-recovery periods in there.

Last year I tried a last 4 weeks as 5 days recv, 11 days on, 10 days taper because I was on nights during those times off, and feel that worked fine. Meant the 11 days on weren’t hugely fitness building, but a last chance to hit some brick simulation days.

Which is the advantages and disadvantages of planning training by a 7 day week.

If you work M-F regular hours its convenient given your long ride will always be a weekend, and allows for planning nice structured 3-1 style blocks like you describe.

Whereas I normally get work rosters about 3-4 weeks in advance, so planning a season goes out the window depending on shifts/how I feel. The advantage, if you can make it work, is just being able to fit in recovery blocks if and when you need them. Doesn’t make a pretty progressive TSS/duration graph to look back on mind.

My point I’m badly making is don’t be too afraid to listen to body and adapt to life events, such as using a busy weekend as a recovery block. Then go 4 weeks on if you feel good, or cut a planned 3 week block to 2 if tired or time-poor.

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Hey!

It’s all on Training Peaks, so is super easy to plan day-by-day.

Old “good” sessions can just be converted into a workout, then stuck into a library :+1:t3:

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That’s the hard bit though isn’t it. Certainly is for me with work and young kids. That’s why I’m going to operate a similar system to @Adam. Have a rough idea of volume and sessions over, say, a 10 day period, and then try to tick them off as best I can, situation/environment permitting.

Got woken up in the middle of the night again with an ill child. So spent the next 2 hrs lying in bed trying to get back to sleep. This jumped in my head and that was it. Much ‘visualising’ ensued.

I did really well and beat the Peacock in my first draft visualisation of the race! :joy: :joy: Everything went well.

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But how do you do if your kit isn’t laid out to roll into when you wake up???

I know I’ve been slacking, but I used to layout whatever kit and just get ready and go as soon as I woke up :woman_shrugging:t4:

For a big Sat/Sun session, yes I do exactly that so I can be out at the crack of dawn. They’re probably the ‘easiest’ to block the time in for.

It’s the ‘in week’ sessions that tend to go awry. Lunchtime and evening slots. Meetings and work get in the way during the day, kids and other stuff in the evenings. Think I may have to embrace a bit of Adam and do late turbo sessions of needed. Thing is that then plays with my sleep. And I’ve been listening to Matt Walker, so don’t want to be losing sleep!

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Yeah, WFH has screwed my routine like that.
I can exercise after 6-7pm really, as I find it hard to sleep afterwards.

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Did you take your Kona slot :joy:

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No i didn’t, as the lottery ticket didn’t come through. I’ll try again tonight, see if i can double up on the finances as well as the amazing IM split. Actually if i think about swimming a few times this week, maybe i can get that down to like 60 mins while i’m at it… :rofl:

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Like your thinking there, let me know how that turns out :joy:

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Ah, Millenial Manifesting.

Visualise it, and they will come.

Like a modern day Field of Dreams

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Yeah, but instead of Kevin Costner coming through the corn fields, i’ve got Mark Allen swimming out of the ocean, like some demi-god from Moana.

:rofl:

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I’m pretty fortunate I guess that work is bang on 8:30 - 3:30 Monday to Friday with the added bonus of half’s terms, Easter etc… it’s just the kids that screw it up

Went to pick the Mrs up from Heathrow last night, plane should have landed at 8:30, was delayed over an hour and meant a late night and this mornings turbo went out the window

Glad it’s just a ‘recovery’ week now :rofl:

Oh and @Poet that wasn’t a dig with your daily sessions. Having it all down like that would stress me out if I missed a session!

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I know :innocent:

I just move them all the time anyhow.

Not got anything massive planned, so as long as I’m doing 5-7 hours per week, I’m not fussed :+1:t3::white_check_mark:

Keep healthy and active is higher than performance for me now.

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