It’s all about the journey though isn’t it? I’m sure you can do an IM on 6 sessions a week. But why are you limiting yourself to 6 sessions a week? If it’s because of other commitments then that’s OK, focus the 6 sessions, address your weaknesses, I’m sure you will do OK.
But if you just don’t want to do more, then why IM? I’m sure the big mileage weeks towards the end of an IM training plan can seem like a drag, but the 4 months leading up to that should be a pleasure. Lots a 3-4hr bike rides, lots of 1-2hr runs, a few open water swims, surely that is why we do triathlon, because we enjoy the training? Race day is just to get the permission slip signed off for all the Sunday morning escapes.
I would say that you could do well with 5 sessions a week.
Swim once a week. Minimum of an hour. Mix it up. You can swim well. That is enough. If you did 2 swims a week what would you expect? 5 mins faster on race day would probably be the best you could hope for. Not a good return on investment.
Cycle twice a week (get in a cheeky 3rd if you can occasionally), one long one (Not that long now, increasing as you get closer to the race) and either one at tempo or something like 2x20mins at FTP. Mix them up. If you can do a 20/30 min run off of the bike occasionally then great.
Do a weekly long run (Again progression as the year goes on) and either a tempo or long interval run.
Given that your race is 11 months away, you want to avoid mental fatigue so don’t stress yourself overly about what you’re doing (or not doing in the next 6 months!).
I would imagine that for you, the race will be all about the run and the weight that you will be carrying around. Try not to pile on the muscle on the upper body with too many heavy weights sessions. Maybe take it easy with protein intake after your gym sessions. As with most of us, losing a few Kg would make a fair improvement to our runs.
If you are training less hours would it be worth looking at a 2 week rotation, most people look at weekly sessions. Keep the swim fairly consistent each week because technique and ‘water feel’ are key. Then have a bike focus week with short transition runs and then a run focus week Maybe with short turbo session.
Dunno just floating this in my head
Actually, thinking about it, the bike will be (even more) key for you. Let’s face it, most people will walk a portion of the IM run. I’ve only managed to run the whole way 3 out of 8 times; last year I ran the whole course but had to stop for cramp a few times. So getting to the run in good shape for a respectable run/walk marathon is what will make your day, and ensure that it isn’t just an unpleasant death march. I’d wager most race-execution mistakes are made on the bike too; I’ve certainly been there.
So if your swim fitness is okay, and you can walk/jog a marathon in 5-6h, then a strong bike will hold it all together for a finish.
Hi, this info is really helping me too, thanks. I’ll be attempting my first Ironman in Jul 21. Any advice on Training Peaks compatible or Trainer Road training plans - I’m thinking about maintaining base fitness (to minimise risk of injury) until 23 weeks out when I’ll start a formal plan - any really good plans people have had success with?
Echo what @Jorgan says here.
If I had 5 sessions a week to do my next IM in 11 months and I was a decent swimmer it would be this:
Now till March - 4 bikes & 1 swim. 1 long easy bike, 3 shorter hard bikes.
March - July - 1 swim, 2 bikes, 2 runs. Alternate the weeks of long bike & long run so never both on the same weekend.
Eat well, you could lose a lot of weight in that time if you really wanted to, by probably not changing too much.
I think that once you have the base fitness, a 70.3 or OD is no easier than a Full IM, The intensity is just higher and overall race time is shorter.
I think that it is a really good idea to build up to an IM distance, by covering shorter distance races, but once there, so long as you can maintain a decent base, completing a 70.3 or Full IM distance shouldn’t require too much difference in training time
Thanks all, good points on the bike. The bike course is flat so the run is going to be the place my size and weight will kick me in the knackers.
Definitely need to work on longer runs. Bike focus over the winter to get me in good shape for that. When I trained for Lanza I did a couple of Joe Friels big days, could do one of those 12 weeks out and that would show me roughly what state I’m in and if I need to adjust.
The ironman is entered and paid for already so I’m going to do it. I just dont want it to consume my life like before. My wife puts up with it to a point but then starts to resent it. Also as my kids get older its them that give me stick for not spending time with them.
Training for ironman without impacting the family negatively is deifinitely doable, but my approach is stealth training, rather than minimising the number of sessions. Even easier when you are working from home.
I think the one session that the family notice is the long run, even if I do it early saturday morning, afterwards I bumble about the house doing little chores but Im basically useless.
I find the complete opposite! Commuting to work by bike and trainng at lunchtime is all ‘invisible’. Currently the kids are off school and my wife is job hunting.
I’m with you. I swim and run short lunchtimes, commute by bike. The only sessions at home are long run, 90 minutes is easy enough to find and long bike which i struggled with, hence never getting a bike time anywhere near my capabilities.
When I worked locally my long run was done one Friday morning. Would get up early, there was a park halfway between work and home. Would run there, do as many laps as needed, then run to work.
Didnt impact anything. It was the big rides that interfered with everything. I could have got up earlier in a sunday I guess.
I’d get in a 100 mile ride and 40 min brick run before midday, but be dead weight the rest of the day 💁 That’s only for 4x Sundays for my peak block though. But still hate it.
I think for marathon training you are taking me back to a bad place
20 miles, before work.
Just awful.
But no need for that with IM.
I’ve taken as gospel truth - cos it suits me- the maxim espoused by Texan tri guy (Brett on zentri) - that 12 or 2 hours is the max run you need.
And you can BUILD to that, so no need to do owt too long yet.
Plus…we have the new brilliant big guys thread, so maybe we can talk more about the nutrition side of things? I need to stop squeaking like a kids toy first though…l
Like that mentality. Good post
