IronMan Training Plan HELP!!!

Tans826zt · Joined: 17 Mar 2019 Posts: 2

Hey all

First post so be gentle. Signed up for my first IronMan in Vichy France on 25th August. I found a 6 month training plan which I found online 3 weeks ago and it’s going well. The more I look it at the more I worry it’s not guna cut the mustard. The mileage towards the end just doesn’t seem enough to me. Could anyone with a bit of experience please cast their eye over it.

http://www.220triathlon.com/downloads/6Month-Ironman-base-training-plan.pdf

Thanks in advance
Dave

explorerJC · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 16060 Location: Farthingstone

it really depends upon start point, ability to recover, injury resilience, time available and objectives...

why do you think it is not enough?
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Tans826zt · Joined: 17 Mar 2019 Posts: 2

So my base fitness was higher than the starting point of the plan and I’m finding it fine at the moment. Adjusting to the volume is what’s toughest, training on consecutive days without rest is what I’m getting used to. Oh and eating enough lol.
Pretty good with injury resilience as I normally run marathons. I’m not trying to qualify for Kona but want a reasonable time.

There just doesn’t seem to be many brick sessions and I thought I would be doing nearer to the race distances in each discipline closer to the end.
If you think the plan is sufficient that I won’t struggle in the race and will vaguely enjoy it then great!

explorerJC · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 16060 Location: Farthingstone

ttowel · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 4127 Location: Swim School

Brick sessions are pretty useful for short tris, the longer you go, the less important they are.

I do very few for Ironman, if any. Get obsessed about doing runs after long rides and the runs are pretty pointless, just cause fatigue without much training benefit.

Better done as longer rides off shorter and harder bike rides.

mattsurf · Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 852 Location: Zug, Switzerland

I am not a coach, I did have a coach last year but I am self coaching this year. I am just starting my 4th season of triathlon. There are many people on this site who have vastly more experience than me, however, I will share my opinion.

I think a lot of plans take an average person and get them into a position where they can complete and Ironman reasonably comfortably, but the focus is not on achieving a great time

Before I did my first IM I had done a load of Olympic distance triathlons and a few half ironmans. To give you some context to my fitness when I started training for an IM, my half marathon pb was 1h30m and Marathon PB was 3h30m

My first IM was in Vichy, and I completed this, age 45, in under 12 hours, which for me was "reasonable", but certainly not spectacular. I did this off 7 hours training per week, I was limited by a running injury, moving job and relocating from the UK to Switzerland 1 week after Vichy (sorting schools, house etc took a load of time)

I would say that the program you are following is probably similar to the amount I was doing in preparation for Vichy, and I am sure that you can get a reasonable time, but with scope for future improvement. You could train harder, but there is a risk that you get an injury or simply over train. Much better to follow a nice safe plan, complete your first IM, and then see how much you can improve in subsequent years

Last year I completed IM Switzerland over an hour quicker off 11 hours training per week.

This year I am training around 13-14 hours per week, and have seen a step change in performance across all 3 disciplines

stenard · Joined: 04 Sep 2013 Posts: 2063

tuckandgo · Joined: 03 Sep 2012 Posts: 461